


Kintsugi

by CaptainRex_ika



Series: Break [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Anxiety, Attachments, Brotherhood, Drug Use, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friendship, Healing, Love, Lovers, M/M, Mando'a, Obi-Wan will fight everyone for Cody, Past Rape/Non-con, Physical Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery, Recovery, Rex and Cody are the best brothers, Support, Therapy, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-10-09
Packaged: 2019-10-15 23:59:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 51
Words: 211,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17538821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainRex_ika/pseuds/CaptainRex_ika
Summary: Tram and Tris are dead.Rex is safely back in the arms and care of the 501st Legion and the Jedi, with Fives taking care of him as he attempts to overcome the emotional and mental trauma that Tris has left him.Obi-Wan still searches for Cody, unawares that he has been rescued from Tram by a person's unknown.Rex and Cody struggle to overcome the trauma and pain left from the rape and abuse they had suffered for six months at the hands of sadists and sociopaths, but they have their loves and their brothers behind them.Little did they know that this was just the beginning of another fight for survival.





	1. Withdrawal

**Author's Note:**

> Kintsugi: The Art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer dusted with gold. It treats the breakage and repair as a history of the product, rather than something to disguise.
> 
> I thought the name was apt, since I broke Rex and Cody last fic and now I'm putting them back together...
> 
> This definitely is not going to be as long as Break, but I do have plans for it ;)

Everything was hazy as Cody drifted in and out of consciousness, writhing. A shadow loomed over him and something wet dabbed at his forehead.

“Easy, _ad’ika_ ,” a voice murmured softly. “You’re okay.”

Cody didn’t feel okay. He felt like he was dying. 

His skin felt too tight and he was cold yet sweating, or he was hot yet shivering; his stomach was rolling and cramping uncomfortably and he kept throwing up everything that his saviour attempted to feed him.

“Here, Kote,” the voice said reassuringly once more. Cody felt a straw against his dry lips and eagerly drank the blissfully cool liquid, which had a fruity tinge to it. “Good, _ad’ika_. We’ve got to keep you hydrated.” 

Cody groaned as pain ripped through him and curled up, shivering and panting. 

“I feel like I’m going to die,” he groaned, vision swimming. There was a sad chuckle and a hand ran through his sweaty hair.

“You’re not going to die, Kote,” the voice reassured him. “You’re just going through withdrawals, but you’ll be okay.”

Cody groaned once more as his vision swam and he drifted out of consciousness once more.

 

Rex winced as Healer Che gently poked at his sides, clicking her tongue. 

“Well, your ribs are just about healed,” she sighed as she pulled away. “There’s just the deep bruising that’s still healing which is why you’re so tender.”

Rex nodded, fixing the shirt he was wearing to cover himself. Vokara smiled sadly at him, noticing the bags under his eyes.

“How are you sleeping, Rex?” she asked gently. Rex gave a small shrug, focusing on pulling a thread out from his shirt so he didn’t meet her gaze.

“Not so well,” he admitted finally. “It’s been hard.”

“Nightmares?”

“Yeah, but also because Cody’s not there,” Rex mumbled. A gentle hand rested on his shoulder and steered him so he was sitting down on the edge of the bed. 

“How is that affecting your sleep?” Vokara asked gently. “Is it because you’re worried about him or something else?”

“A bit of both,” Rex sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m used to sharing a bed with Cody now. Every morning for the last six months, I’ve woken up with Cody beside me…and every time I woke up from nightmares, he was right beside me.”

Vokara frowned at that as she sat down in the chair beside the bed, looking at Rex.

“You shared the same bed for six months?” she repeated.

“Almost six months,” Rex said quietly. “There were two weeks when we were separated as a punishment.”

Vokara nodded, frown deepening. 

“What do you when you can’t sleep?” she questioned.

“Pace, I guess, I just get restless,” Rex answered, looking around the small consult room, at its soft pastel colours and the flowers in the corner; he just didn’t want to look at Master Che. 

“What did you do as a hobby, Rex?” Vokara asked gently. “Before this - what did you do to unwind?”

“I used the gym a lot,” Rex said. “Went to the shooting range.”

“Was there anything you did that wasn’t so strenuous or violent?” Vokara continued. “Playing cards or darts or drawing even?”

Rex shook his head. “I occasionally played cards with the _vode_ , but I was never any good at it. Cody’s the artist, not me.”

“Isn’t there anything?” Vokara pressed. 

Rex hesitated for a moment, fidgeting with his sleeves. “When I was on Osiris,” he said slowly, carefully, “there was an Osirian named Darl who looked out for Cody and me.” Rex gave a small smile. “She’s also the one who kept us fed. She taught me how to bake…and I really enjoyed it.” 

Vokara smiled at that. “That’s really good, Rex,” she praised. “I’ll order you some baking supplies for your apartment here.”

Rex’s eyes widened at that. “T-That isn’t necessary,” Rex stammered. “I-I don’t want to impose…the Jedi are already doing so much for me –,” Rex broke off as Vokara held up a blue hand.

“Rex, you are a good man,” she told him softly, yet firmly. “We want to help you and, truly, buying you some cooking materials isn’t a hassle. We want to see you recover from your experience and help anyway we can. It’s truly nothing at all.”

Rex gave a small nod, looking at his hands, which made Vokara frown once more.

“Rex, have you seen a Mind Healer yet?” 

Rex gave a small snort at that. “Clones aren’t ones to talk about their feelings, Master Healer.”

“You went through a traumatic experience, Rex,” Vokara said, shocked. “Surely after the really horrible battles there’s someone you can talk to? Or if you’re feeling anxious?”

Rex shook his head. “We talk to the wrong people we get decommissioned,” he said bluntly. “Cody suffers from an anxiety disorder, but Obi-Wan is helping him with that; Kix has the shakes after the battle is done and the wounded are treated; Jesse won’t leave Kix’s side after a hard battle, while we can’t pry Hardcase away from the ranges. Fives get tense and Echo buries himself into his regulation manuals…and poor Tup has nightmares that has him screaming himself, and us, awake.”

Vokara just stared, horrified, as Rex listed all of this. Vokara shook her head firmly.

“Okay,” she said. “You are definitely seeing a Mind Healer. I know you think you don’t need it, that clones were bred to be tougher…but that isn’t true, Rex,” Vokara implored. “All of you are important and your mental health is just as important as your physical health. You’ve been through a traumatic ordeal and I do not want to see those memories and hurts be supressed and fester so much that it leads to you having a major breakdown or killing yourself.”

Rex just stared at her, golden eyes wide.

“I’m going to be talking to the Council about rotating Mind Healers throughout the different battalions, hopefully that will help some of your brothers, especially if we give them techniques to help them calm or release their emotions in a way that doesn’t hurt them.” Vokara looked to Rex once more, giving a small, soft smile. “We all need help, Rex, whether you’re a clone or a Jedi…it never hurts to talk.” 

Rex looked at Vokara’s reassuring smile, at her caring eyes, and gave a small nod. He wanted to get better…for himself, for Fives.

“I’ll organise someone to talk to you,” Vokara reassured him. “I have just the Jedi in mind, you’ll like her. She grew up with Obi-Wan actually.”

Rex gave a small grin at that. “Do you think she’ll tell me stories from when he was a youngling?”

Vokara snickered at the hopeful tone. “She might.” 

Rex nodded, rubbing his eyes tiredly and making Vokara frown.

“You have someone staying with you, don’t you?” she questioned.

“Yeah, my _cyare_ , Fives, is staying with me,” Rex answered quietly. “Until he gets called into battle again.” Vokara winced at that.

“Well, just as long as you’re not alone,” Vokara sighed. “I’d rather you not be by yourself to deal with nightmares. When Fives goes back to the front, I want you to comm someone. Is there anyone in the Temple, well, more permanently, that you trust?”

“My _ori’vod_ , my older brother,” Rex explained at Vokara’s confused look. “Ponds…he’s staying in the Temple for now as well,” Rex shrugged. “Apparently he pissed off the Chancellor?”

Vokara snorted at that, her lekku curling slightly. “Well good, that man deserves a good kick in the ass.”

Rex snorted at that, unable to stop the laughter that came from him. Vokara just smiled as she watched him laugh.

 

Echo glanced at Ponds once more, who nodded, before he grinned and sent off the data-file to several holo-news stations. He had been so angry when Ponds had come to him, telling him what the Chancellor had said, that he had jumped on the chance to show the Galaxy exactly what the Chancellor was _really_ like. 

It had taken him a few days to get into the surveillance of the Senate building, treading carefully as he looked through the system, finding the footage from the Chancellor’s office, and making sure he didn’t set off any alarms as he copied the footage from Pond’s and Windu’s meeting with the Chancellor.

Seeing it made Echo grit his teeth angrily and he was savagely pleased to do this. He even looked around further in the recordings, trying to find more instances of the Chancellor’s cold heart. 

What he found made him frown though. 

True, he had found more instances of the Chancellor being a dick and double-crossing people – which he saved for future use – but what was more concerning was the frequent blackouts in the recordings. The Chancellor would tell his secretary not to disturb him, press a button on his desk, and then the recording would cut out.

Echo was curious to know what the Chancellor was hiding. 

“You’ve left no trail, right?” Ponds asked quietly, glancing up and looking around the Archives, making sure no one was nearby to hear them.

“None whatsoever,” Echo reassured him. “I’ve backtracked and laid false trails, but there’s no way they can find out who took the footage or who sent it to the news stations.”

“They won’t be able to see that you’ve sent it from the Jedi Archives?” Ponds asked again, just wanting the reaffirmation. He didn’t want to give the Chancellor another reason to attack the Jedi and following a trail back to the Archives, where the footage was sent from, would definitely be the worst thing.

“There’s no chance,” Echo reassured him. “I’ve used the Archive system to piggy-back into another network and laid false trails, but I’ve also erased all digital fingerprints of the Archives from the network I’ve piggy-backed on, so there’s no chance.”

Ponds nodded, taking in a breath as Echo grinned at him, offering him his datapad.

“Go on, Ponds,” he said with a grin. “You press it. Get the Chancellor back for threatening to recondition you.”

Ponds grinned at Echo, leaning forward and pressing the send button, a deep glee settling in his stomach as he knew the Chancellor was about to get his comeuppance. 

 

Fives tiredly blinked open his eyes, lifting his head from the pillow when he realised what had woken him. Fives blearily reached out, hand touching the cold other side of the bed, confirming the fact that he was alone before he yawned, rolling over and sitting up. Fives rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he turned, placing is feet on the floor. He tiredly looked around the dark bedroom, sighing. He got to his feet and quietly walked from the bedroom and into the main apartment. Fives leaned against the doorway to the bedroom, looking over the apartment the Jedi had given Rex. 

The sky was still a dark black outside, with hints of an inky blue towards the horizon, showing that the sun would be rising soon. The apartment was softly lit by dimmed white lights, which threw shadows across the dark blue couch and the wooden table and chairs next to the large window.

What really caught his attention was Rex in the kitchen of the apartment, wearing his sleep-pants and a grey tank top, as he bustled around, mixing this and adding that. Fives walked towards the kitchen, making sure that Rex would hear him coming, and settled by the bench to watch Rex as he placed a tray in the oven. Fives let his eyes drift over the cakes already baked and set aside to cool.

“How long have you been up?” Fives asked softly.

“A while,” Rex answered simply, turning to face Fives. Fives smiled at that flour smattered across Rex’s nose, where he obviously had rubbed. 

“You’re going to make all the men fat,” Fives teased as he reached over to gently dust the flour off of Rex’s face. “You know Jesse had to break apart a fight over the last cookie that you baked? …Of course, Jesse ended up just grabbing the cookie and eating it himself.” Rex snorted at that. 

“I was planning on giving most of it to the younglings,” Rex said with a small shrug, before gaining a devious smile. “Thought I’d let them loose on Yoda full of sugar.” 

Fives burst out laughing at that, leaning against the bench. Rex smiled as Fives laughed before he turned to get the next batch of cookies out of the oven. Rex placed the tray down, letting it cool before he turned back to the bowl with the next batch of dough within it. 

Arms wrapped around his waist and Rex froze before his body reacted, jerking away, elbow catching a jug and sending it flying to the floor, with blue milk going everywhere.

“ _Kriff_ , sorry!” Fives apologized sheepishly as Rex turned, heart racing and tensed. “Sorry, Rex, I…didn’t think.”

Rex gave a small shrug, turning away, trying not to let Fives see how much that one simple action had shaken him. Inwardly, Rex cursed Tris for making him so jumpy that his own boyfriend couldn’t even hug him. Fives crouched down on the floor next to him, holding a rag that he used to mop up the spilt milk.

“I’m sorry, Rex,” Fives murmured again. “I…forgot.”

“It’s fine,” Rex grunted, really not wanting to talk about it. Fives stood up, depositing the cloth in the sink, before he turned and look at Rex, who had also straightened by then.

“What woke you up?” Fives asked, watching as Rex turned back to his mixing bowl, picking out batter to roll into small balls. 

“Nightmare,” Rex answered quietly. 

“Want to talk about it?”

Rex just shook his head, breathing in deeply. He’d rather forget about that nightmare; forget that he had dreamed that Tris had survived and had found him, pinning him to the bed, helpless, as he took Rex, growling in his ear about how much he loved it, how Rex belonged to him and only him. Rex had looked to the side to see Fives’s golden eyes staring back blankly, blood pooling around his slit throat. Rex had screamed in his nightmare which had jolted him awake, shaking and sweating profusely. 

He had looked to Fives, seeing Fives was still curled up, sleeping peacefully and snoring softly. Rex’s heart had slowed at that sight, but he still felt shaken and knew he wasn’t going to get back to sleep that night, so he had come to bake in order to clear his head. 

“You’ve got an appointment with that Mind Healer today, right?” Fives’s voice asked gently, breaking him from his horrid thoughts. Rex nodded.

“Yeah, first appointment with them,” he sighed. 

“Hey, it’ll be good,” Fives reassured him, reaching out to take Rex’s dough covered hand in his own. “It’ll help…and I don’t want this to destroy you, Rex, I don’t want to lose you.”

“You won’t,” Rex murmured. “I-I know it’ll help, but you know how it was on Kamino…the stigma of talking about mental health…” Rex trailed off.

“Yeah, I know,” Fives sighed, “but that’s going to change now, right? I don’t want to see any more brothers that we couldn’t save.” 

Rex shuddered at the memories of all the younger brothers he had found with self-inflicted blaster wounds.

“You said Master Che seemed quite adamant about it,” Fives said before he grinned cheekily. “And you know how stubborn Healers and medics are.”

Rex snorted at that, knowing that far too well.

“Do you know who the Jedi is that you’re seeing? The one who grew up with Obi-Wan?”

“No, Master Che didn’t give a name,” Rex answered. Fives hummed thoughtfully, continuing to watch as Rex bustled around the kitchen and couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the calmness that came across Rex’s face as he mixed batter.

 

Palpatine gritted his teeth as he watched the news feed before turning the channel again and again.

It was all the same.

_Chancellor doesn’t care!_

_Clones raped while Chancellor indifferent!_

_Has the Republic being blaming the wrong people for this war?_

_Jedi for the Republic and its people!_

_Will the Jedi leave the Senate’s control?_

_Chancellor threatens soldier with reconditioning for speaking up!_

_Clone soldiers suffering for Chancellor’s whims!_

_Outcry for clone rights!_

_Clones will defect Senate for Jedi!_

_Abuse of clones by Navy personal!_

_Protests for Jedi to take protection of clones from greedy Senate!_

Palpatine snarled, lightning flickering from his fingers in anger. They kept replaying the footage over and over, showing his indifference to the clones and him threatening that annoying Commander as Windu stands in front of the clone to protect him. 

There were protests now, arguments that he should lose his emergency power! Palpatine clenched his fists in anger, turning off the news feed, before sweeping to his feet and pacing his office.

He was furious! 

He had had his best slicers to figure out who hacked his security feed, but they had come up empty handed. He had them killed after that. 

He knew…he just knew that it had something to do with Windu’s Commander, but all enquiries to the barracks had led him to the clone being holed up in the Jedi Temple with no way for Palpatine to get him. 

Though that had apparently been in place since after their meeting, days before the footage was released. 

Palpatine snarled in anger and frustration, the Dark side pulsing around him, feeding off of his fury. 

This could undermine everything! 

The public were crowing for his removal and for the clones to be granted rights. Amidala and Organa had stepped up in their fight for clone rights, with Satine Kryze adding in her support. Skywalker was still avoiding him and he felt his grip on his future apprentice slipping.

The Dark Side was giving him no answers; the future remaining murky and unseeable, as though it was betraying him.

Palpatine grumbled under his breath as he sat back down, breathing in.

He would fix this, find a way to turn the tides back in his favour. 

He always did.


	2. Awakening

Cody slowly and tiredly blinked open his eyes, seeing and thinking clearly for the first time since Tram had drugged him. Cody winced as he shifted his limbs, which felt heavy and stiff. He still felt so exhausted. 

Cody turned his head on the pillow, looking around the small stone room he was in. He was obviously underground, with no windows, which left the room nice and cool. The room was pretty empty, with only a small table and chairs in the corner, which was currently covered with datapads and weapon cleaning material. Cody turned his gaze to the doorway as he heard approaching footsteps. The figure paused in the shadowed doorway, seeing that Cody was awake.

“It’s good to see you awake and alert, _ad’ika_.”

“I knew it was you,” Cody said tiredly. “Only you and Boba still call me Kote…and you’re the only one out of the two who can physically lift me, Jango.” 

Jango Fett chuckled as he approached, grabbing the cup of juice on the bedside table and placing the straw against Cody’s dry lips. Cody examined the older man sitting on the edge of the bed. He looked just like him, but older, scars marring Jango's face and greys beginning to appear within the deep black hair; the wrinkles were also slightly deeper around Jango's eyes and forehead from the last time Cody had seen him.

“It is your name after all,” Jango said before giving Cody a look as he went to stop drinking to argue. “I know you go by Cody now…but Kote is what I named you and it’s what you’ll always be to me.”

Cody stopped drinking and laid back against the pillows, not having the energy to get up. Jango sat on the edge of the bed, dark gold eyes looking at him in concern.

“How are you feeling?”

“Exhausted,” Cody said hoarsely. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt this exhausted.”

Jango smiled sadly. “Your body had one hell of a fight getting that spice out of your system, while still making sure your heart kept beating. Withdrawals are never easy on the body, especially getting off spice when you’ve been given it daily for two weeks.”

Cody winced at that before he looked to Jango.

“How’d you know where to find me? How’d you know it was actually me?”

Jango chuckled at that. “Even though you all look like me, you’re all still vastly different from each other,” he pointed out. “Also, up until last month, I had access to the GAR system.”

Cody just stared at him. “What?”

“Well, I had to make sure I wasn’t anywhere where the GAR was going to be, not if they found me, it would defeat the purpose of faking my death after all,” Jango explained. “I also snooped around when I got bored, just checking up on you all. Saw Rex is doing well with the 501st, while Ponds is serving with Windu, and you were with Kenobi.”

Jango fixed Cody with a look at that. “I also found out you changed your name when I stumbled across an article about Kenobi, in which you featured, when he called you Cody and the article wrote that. The reporter interviewed you as well and she also called you Cody. Why did you change your name, Kote?”

“Stop calling me that,” Cody said quietly. “That’s not who I am anymore.”

“What do you mean by that?” Jango demanded to know. 

“You called me Kote because you said I had promise, that I would be _great_ ,” Cody spat, “but I wasn’t. I broke under the abuse of an Admiral. I let him beat me, both physically and emotionally, and I never fought back. I just let him beat me down and break me. Why did I deserve the Mando’a name meaning ‘Glory’ when I couldn’t even protect myself or my men from his bias and hate?”

“Kote, I gave you that name because you _deserved_ it and you _still_ do,” Jango told him firmly. “It doesn’t matter if you fall or if you stumble, it only matters if you push forward, which is what you’ve done. You’ve pushed past the abuse that Admiral gave you; you rose to the rank of Marshal Commander, a rank which a clone was _never_ meant to get. Kenobi obviously sees something in you if he fought so hard to get you promoted.”

Cody just looked away.

“You might not believe me, Kote, but you deserve this name more than ever,” Jango reassured him. “It is _you_.” 

Cody just took in a breath before looking back at Jango. “So, you knew it was me from spying on the GAR network and because of the article?” he asked, changing the subject. He didn’t want to talk about his name anymore.

Jango nodded his head. “I did,” he confirmed. “I read the report that you had been kidnapped and I was furious and I tried to find you, but that was hard to do since I no longer have the network I once did with me being ‘dead’ and all.” Jango looked to him, meeting Cody’s amber eyes. “However, I heard rumours around Mos Eisley that there was a clone pleasure slave, who was being hired out, so I came to see if that information was true…which was when I saw you, and the scar confirmed it was you.”

“Why did you save me?” 

“Because you didn’t deserve that, Kote, no one does,” Jango replied. Cody just nodded, turning his gaze to the ceiling. 

“Why did you leave Boba?” Cody asked, looking back to Jango, who stiffened. “He thought you were dead until recently.”

“It was better for him that way,” Jango said bluntly, standing up.

“He severely damaged a ship that it required evacuation, killed a brother in an attempt to kill Windu, and almost killed Ponds in a misguided desire for revenge,” Cody countered. “He was almost arrested by the Jedi, but Plo felt sorry for him and also deemed saving his hostages more important.” 

“It was safer for him if everyone thought I was dead.”

“The Jedi didn’t,” Cody pointed out. “They thought you and Boba had gotten away until Boba came seeking revenge. My Jedi felt so guilty because of it, because they didn’t look for Boba to make sure he was safe, because they had been so sure you were together once they failed to find your body.”

Jango frowned for a moment before shaking his head. “It’s better for them all to believe I’m dead.”

“Why?” Cody demanded. “Why is it so important that you let your son believe you were dead?! He _needed_ you! He still needs you!” 

Jango stared at Cody once more, dark golds unreadable. “I did that for Boba.”

Cody just stared after him in disbelief as Jango turned and headed towards the door of the room. Jango paused in the doorway.

“I’ll get you some food, don’t try to get up,” he warned before he disappeared. Cody sighed as he lay back against the pillows, agitated.

He didn’t get why Jango would do that to Boba. He understood why he might fake his death, but he didn’t understand him leaving Boba in the dark, hurt and alone, thinking his father was dead. 

Cody sighed as his eyes drifted shut, exhausted. 

He’d get to the bottom of this…for Boba at least.

 

Rex blinked as he looked down the hallways blankly, unsure of which hallway he was meant to take. The Jedi Temple was far too large and it made getting lost far too easy. 

“Uh, excuse me?” Rex asked, stopping a passing youngling. She looked at him, playing with her dark red hair.

“Yes, can I help you?”

“Yeah, I need to get to this room and I don’t know where that is,” Rex said as he showed her the message. The initiate read it and brightened, nodding cheerfully.

“That’s on my way to class, I’ll show you,” she chirped. Rex smiled at her thankfully and followed her as she skipped down the hallways. 

“You’re the one who’s been making sweets, aren’t you?” she asked, glancing back at him. Rex gave a small nod.

“I am.”

“They’re reallllyyyy good,” the youngling said sincerely. “Are you going to be cooking again? We really, really liked it.” 

Rex couldn’t help the smile that came across his lips at that. “I might cook again soon,” he told her. “Though, I have to share it with my men as well.”

“Oh, okay…but we’ll get some eventually, right?”

“Right.”

“Awesome!” 

Rex chuckled at that, following the skipping youngster before she came to a stop in front of the room. 

“This is the one,” she told him, before smiling. “See ya soon!” 

Rex laughed softly, shaking his head as he watched her skip over, waving at her as she turned to wave at him. He turned his attention back to the door in front of him as she rounded the corner and disappeared from view. Rex sighed as he stared at the door. He really didn’t want to do this.

Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself before he pressed the pad beside the door. The door slid open silently and Rex stepped inside. He looked around the room, unsure if he was in the right place.

It sure didn’t look like a room a Mind Healer would use. He had been expecting hard couches and desks with cold white walls.

This was totally different. 

The room was painted a deep blue colour and there was a small fountain in the corner which was trickling away soothingly; the sun shone through the large window, and the sheer blind covering the window made the light in the room nice and soft. 

There were no hard chairs in the room, only large piles of soft cushions.

“Rex?” 

Rex turned around, seeing a Mon Calamari standing in the doorway, smiling softly at him as she stepped forward. Rex took in the Jedi dressed in the light cream robes, which complimented her salmon coloured skin, with her soft silver eyes.

“You are Rex, right?” she asked softly. Rex nodded.

“Yes, ma’am.” 

The Mon Calamari laughed softly, shaking her head as she smiled at Rex. “Just call me Bant, please.”

Rex gave a small nod. 

Bant smiled once more as she indicated to the cushion piles. “Please, have a seat.” 

Rex stared at her for a moment before lowering himself down on one of the piles, crossing his legs as he leaned back slightly against the large round pillow supporting his lower back. Bant settled down on the cushion pile opposite him.

“I thought we’d have a talk outside of the Halls of Healing,” she told him. “So I chose one of the meditation rooms. I find it more…peaceful, compared to the Halls, and I hope you will too.”

Rex just gave a small nod and Bant sighed slightly.

“Rex, I understand that clones have a stigma against mental health…not through any fault of their own of course,” she added hurriedly, “but because of the Kaminoans and the trainers. They called anything other than perfect ‘defective’, but that isn’t true.”

“It’s just…it’s going to be hard,” Rex said, voice hoarse. “I want to talk, I want to get Tris out of my head, but I feel like someone will hear and will send me back to Kamino, like all of the brothers who couldn’t cope anymore.” 

“Your brothers shouldn’t be sent back to Kamino due to their PTSD. They fight hard and see horrors that others can’t imagine, which is why we’re going to be rotating Mind Healers between battalions now. We hadn’t realised that the GAR didn’t already have something in place for you. It was an oversight on our half and we apologize for that, but we’re not going to let Kaminoans or the GAR recondition you for a natural response that has occurred in battle.” Bant looked at Rex and smiled reassuringly at him. “No one is going to send you away either. No one will hear what you have to say – unless you want to tell them – except for me, Rex, and I’m here to help you, not to judge you.”

Rex nodded once more.

“I know it’ll take a while to get comfortable, this is something new to you,” Bant told him gently. “So we’ll take it nice and slow, okay?”

“Sure,” Rex murmured, though he rubbed the thighs of his pants nervously. Bant smiled at him reassuringly. 

“Well, I won’t start with the hard stuff,” she promised. “Can you tell me how you’re going?”

“Do I have to talk?” Rex asked desperately instead. “Can’t you just go in my head and fix whatever’s there?”

Bant smiled sadly at him. “That’s not how this works, Rex,” she told him gently. “If we did that then we’re not addressing the problem, it’s just pushing it aside and hiding it, which allows it to fester until something reminds you and it all breaks free.”

Rex shuddered at that but gave a reluctant nod. “I’m…not sure how I am,” he said slowly. “I’m not used to this or feeling like this. I’m used to having nightmares, that’s just part of being a soldier, but…I’m not used to feeling so jumpy and so tired.”

“How do you mean ‘jumpy’?” 

“I can’t…I can’t even have my partner hug me unless I can see him,” Rex said, voice cracking slightly. “He tried to hug me the other day and I just froze and then jerked away, like I couldn’t control it. I know he wasn’t Tris…but…I just couldn’t help it.”

Bant nodded in understanding. “It was a natural response,” she reassured him. “You went through months where you were hurt, this is natural. I know it’s hard to think that way, but you’re just defending yourself. In time, when your mind and body begin to realise you’re _safe_ , it will stop.” 

“I know Fives is safe!” Rex said, frustrated. “I love him and he loves me…I know he’s safe, but…”

“I know,” Bant said gently. “It’ll take time, Rex, you went through trauma no one should go through. It is natural to feel jumpy and that will take some time.”

“It shouldn’t,” Rex muttered. “We were designed to be better.”

“You’re still human, Rex,” Bant pointed out. “No matter what the Kaminoans did, short of making you into unfeeling droids…you are _human_ and you have feelings and fears just like every other sentient being.” 

Rex sighed and gave a nod.

“You said you’re getting nightmares,” Bant started carefully. “I won’t ask you to tell me about them, not until you’re ready,” she added as she saw Rex’s hesitant look, “but what do you do to overcome them, to calm yourself down?”

“I bake,” Rex admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “There was an Osirian who looked after Cody and me, and she taught me.”

“That’s good,” Bant said, smiling, before a cheeky look flashed in her eyes. “Were you the one who baked all of those sweets for the younglings before they had their class with Yoda?”

Rex grinned back slyly. “Maybe.” 

Bant laughed at that. “I got to see the aftermath of that,” she giggled. “Yoda just standing there as the younglings were all fast asleep around him, crashed from their sugar rush.”

“What did he say?”

“Too old for this, I am,” Bant repeated, giggling again. Rex grinned at that, laughing. Bant smiled at him once more. “So baking and pranks then?” she asked. “They help?”

“Pranks were always a good way to unwind after a hard battle,” Rex admitted. “The worst was Cody -,” Rex broke off suddenly, looking away. Bant looked at him sadly.

“Cody,” she murmured. “He’s your brother, isn’t he? The one that was kidnapped with you? Obi-Wan’s boyfriend?” 

“Yeah,” Rex just said quietly. Bant nodded in understanding.

“You two kept each other strong when you were held captive, didn’t you?” she asked gently.

“Yeah,” Rex answered once more, voice breaking slightly. “He kept me out of trouble…mostly…and I stopped him from letting Tram break him.”

“I know you miss him and are worried for him,” Bant said, “but how is it hurting you the most? I hate to sound callous when I ask that, forgive me, but what is it the most that you’re noticing you’re struggling with without Cody by your side?”

“Sleeping,” Rex said hoarsely. “He kept the nightmares away…and-and just every time I felt like breaking down and crying or just wanting to just bury myself under the covers and never come out…he was always there to hold me and make me feel better.”

Bant nodded. “Okay, we’ll stop there for today, Rex.” She smiled softly at his surprised look. “I don’t want to push you your first session, but now I’m going to go over meditation and breathing techniques for when you wake up from your nightmares or are just feeling anxious or uneasy.” 

Rex nodded and listened to her as she led him through meditation and the breathing techniques. 

At the end, Bant smiled at him.

“How are you feeling, Rex?” she asked gently.

“Tired,” he answered with a sad smile. Bant nodded.

“I suspect you’ll be feeling that way for a while,” she told him. “I believe it’s just your body starting to know that you’re safe, so it’s not on edge all the time, waiting to be attacked, and that’s what is contributing to the exhaustion.”

Rex nodded once more, slumping back against the cushions. “I do like the room though,” he admitted. “Less scary than a medical room.”

“Oh, I agree,” Bant said with a smile. “It’s nice to get out of the Halls.”

“So, you help Jedi that have gone through trauma?” Rex questioned carefully. Bant nodded.

“I do, especially with the war. Mind Healers are in higher demand now with so much suffering in the Galaxy.”

Rex nodded once more before looking up with a small smile. “I also heard you grew up with Kenobi.”

Bant laughed at that. “Oh, yes I did. So very stubborn.” 

Rex chuckled at that as Bant’s smile turned sad. 

“I actually need to go see that stubborn nerf-herder after your appointment,” she sighed. “He’s barely left his quarters since he’s returned.”

Rex flinched at that and Bant smiled sadly at him. 

“It’s something we’re used to,” she told him, trying to sound reassuring. “He cares so much that he tends to struggle with himself if something doesn’t go right.”

“Yeah, Cody said something about that,” Rex said carefully. “Said Kenobi took the blame on himself, berated himself for things that couldn’t be helped.”

“And for that Quin would blame Qui-Gon,” Bant muttered under her breath, though Rex caught it. He chose not to bring that up, though he would research that name later. 

“He’ll be okay though, once we find Cody,” Rex said confidently and Bant smiled, nodding her head.

“He will,” she said, smiling once more. “You know, when Cody was assigned to Obi-Wan, I started to see him less and less. Cody helped him and for that I am eternally grateful. I am glad my friend has found someone who loves him.” 

Rex smiled at that. “I am glad Cody has found someone too.” 

Bant got to her feet, Rex following closely, and stretched out.

“Well, speaking of the stubborn nerf-herder, I should go and see him,” Bant said, smiling at Rex. “I’ll see you again at the same time in three days, is that okay?”

Rex nodded. “That’s fine.”

“Good,” Bant said, before reaching out and placing a cool, webbed hand on Rex’s shoulder. “I know it’s hard for you to open up about your feelings and fears, but you did great for your first session, Rex. Don’t forget what I taught you about meditation and breathing, and hopefully that will help you sleep some more.”

“Thank you, Bant.”

Rex headed back to his apartment, feeling a bit better about this whole Mind Healer thing. He had been expecting them to be pushy and try and get him to talk about what had happened straight away, but Bant wasn’t like that and he was grateful for it. 

Maybe he’d go research popular Mon Cala desserts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Realllyyy shitty days at work, means new chapter!
> 
>  
> 
> and yes, that was the reason I dropped the hint that Jango was alive in Break ;)  
> I'll be checking in with Obi-Wan next chapter :)


	3. Clearing the Air

Obi-Wan sat in his darkened apartment, head buried in hands as he sat on the couch. He couldn’t stop thinking of Cody, of the last time he saw those desperate but resigned amber eyes staring at him just before Tram dragged Cody away. 

He had failed Cody…again.

Obi-Wan just couldn’t get Cody’s eyes out of his thoughts.

The door slid open and Obi-Wan heard a sigh. The lights turned on, though only to a dim glow, and Obi-Wan heard footsteps approach. He knew who it was, having sensed her Force presence. A weight settled beside him on the couch and a cool, webbed hand touched his shoulder, sending comforting waves to him.

“Oh, you stubborn nerf-herder,” Bant’s voice said fondly but sadly. “You blame yourself for far too much.”

Obi-Wan shook his head. “This _was_ my fault, Bant,” he said, voice shaking. “I was the one who let Tram take Cody.”

“That’s not what I’ve heard,” Bant argued gently. “I heard from Skywalker what you attempted to do, jumping on the moving ship and then planning to risk your life by attempting a jump that would have _killed_ you if Skywalker hadn’t stopped you.”

“Tram shouldn’t have gotten that far with Cody in the first place.”

“You had to defend yourself against blaster bolts,” Bant countered. “If you had done nothing to defend yourself, if you had attempted to run after Cody, you would have been killed before you reached him and you _know_ that.” 

Obi-Wan just shook his head and Bant sighed, rubbing his back. 

“You’re going to find him, Obi-Wan, I truly believe that,” she murmured. 

“We’re meant to be better, Bant,” Obi-Wan croaked. “Why couldn’t I save him?” 

Bant sighed heavily. “As horrible as this sounds, and I know it’ll probably mean nothing, but perhaps this has a greater purpose.” 

Obi-Wan looked at Bant in disbelief and she sighed.

“Yes, I know how that sounds, but you can’t tell me that the Force feels a bit more lighter, a bit more hopeful, to you…and that when you think hard on Cody, try to see him through the Force, that it doesn’t seem brighter still?” 

Obi-Wan frowned, closing his eyes and focusing on the future, on Cody. 

Strange…it did seem a bit brighter, a bit more hopeful, around Cody. 

Bant smiled at him as he opened his eyes to look at her. “Told ya.” 

“How did you discover that?” he asked in surprise.

“Well, after I was assigned Rex as my new patient – and knowing that I’d have to talk to you about him as well – I meditated on Cody and that was what I felt,” Bant explained. 

“Rex is your new patient?” Obi-Wan asked, eyebrows raised, before he hesitated. “How is he?” 

“He’s struggling,” Bant said carefully. “Though that was expected after everything he’s been through.” Bant lifted her gaze to meet Obi-Wan’s. “Though I am surprised you haven’t gone to see him.”

Obi-Wan averted his gaze at that. “How could I?” he murmured. “I-I didn’t want him to blame me…I know it’s my fault…but…”

“It’s not your fault, bantha-brains,” Bant told him firmly. “Rex doesn’t blame you, I know this, as do you.” 

Obi-Wan just grunted, burying his face back into his hands. Bant sighed at that. She tried to speak to him for a while longer, but he just closed up again. 

“You need to stop blaming yourself for things out of your control, Obi-Wan,” Bant said softly. “Have a shower, eat some food, and get back out there, Obi-Wan…Cody will be waiting for you.” 

Obi-Wan just listened as she stood up, placing her webbed hand reassuringly on his head once more, before she left him to his thoughts, knowing he just needed to work this out himself, like he always did. 

He knew Bant was trying to look out for him, she always did…but he knew he was to blame.

He was never fast enough to save them.

Not fast enough to save Qui-Gon from Maul, wasn’t fast enough to save Shmi from being killed and wasn’t fast enough to save Cody from his torturous captor.

He was never good enough.

 

Anakin paused as he felt distress echo across the bond he still shared with Obi-Wan. He looked to Ahsoka, who had stopped a few steps away and had turned once she had realised he had stopped.

“Everything okay, Skyguy?” she asked. Anakin blinked, focusing back on her before he gave a small nod.

“Yeah,” he said, though he was unsure. “I’m just gonna check on Obi-Wan.”

“Do you want me to come with?” 

Anakin shook his head. “No, you go hang out with the 501st.”

“I see them all the time now,” Ahsoka said with a grin. “They’re always coming around to see Rex so he’s never alone when Fives is on duty.” 

“Well, that’s a good thing, Snips,” Anakin grinned back, “but you better chase them around the training halls, just to be safe.” 

Ahsoka laughed at that, promising she would, before she headed off. Anakin frowned after she had disappeared from view and quickly headed up to his and Obi-Wan’s old apartment.

He had moved out shortly after he was knighted, mostly because he didn’t want Obi-Wan to know he was sneaking out to see his wife, but it had still been hard to leave him.   
Anakin chuckled to himself as he placed his hand on the door-pad, which immediately accepted it and opened the door. 

Of course Obi-Wan hadn’t taken him off the approved entry. 

Anakin stepped inside and immediately froze as a wave of despair and hopelessness washed over him. He blinked, immediately finding Obi-Wan curled up on the couch, legs drawn up with his arms wrapped around them, face buried in between his knees. 

“Obi-Wan,” Anakin said worriedly as he quickly hurried to his side, sitting beside him. “Obi-Wan, what’s wrong? Is it Cody?” 

He knew Obi-Wan had gotten some weird readings from Cody over their bond in the first few days. It had left him feeling disorientated and hazy, almost like he had been drugged was Obi-Wan’s exact words, so he had reluctantly blocked the bond, being unable to focus. 

Obi-Wan just shook his head, back heaving. 

“Obi-Wan, please, tell me what’s going on,” Anakin said, growing even more worried. “Do you want me to call Bant?” 

Obi-Wan shook his head once more and Anakin wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close and holding him tightly. 

“I’m sorry,” Obi-Wan whispered, making Anakin’s frown deepen.

“What for?” he asked, genuinely confused. 

“Never being good enough.”

Anakin closed his eyes at that whisper. He knew Obi-Wan had a tendency to be self-deprecating. He had asked Quinlan, Bant and Garen about it and Quinlan had muttered something about Qui-Gon, but not enough that Anakin understood. He knew Obi-Wan always tried his best, always pushed himself further than humanely possible, but yet always blamed himself for things out of his control.

“Please, don’t say that,” Anakin murmured in Obi-Wan’s ear. “You go further and try harder than anyone I know.”

“Still too slow,” Obi-Wan mumbled. “Too slow to save Qui-Gon, too slow to save Cody…too slow to save your mother.”

Anakin stiffened at that, letting go of Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan uncurled himself, flat grey eyes looking at Anakin guiltily.

“What?” Anakin breathed. 

“When…when you started having nightmares, I became concerned,” Obi-Wan croaked. “I know I told you dreams pass in time - I mean, I used to get told that all the time -, but…but I was just hoping that that was true and so you wouldn’t be distracted on your mission.” Obi-Wan looked away from Anakin, staring at his hands instead. “I comm’d Vos, who was doing a mission near to Tattooine and asked if he would go check on your mother when he had the chance.”

“You asked Quinlan to go make sure my mother was okay?” Anakin repeated, speechless. Obi-Wan nodded.

“I should have pushed him to hurry but I didn’t know your dreams were of your mother dying, I thought she was just hurt,” Obi-Wan shook his head. “I should have done something earlier, pushed the Council harder to save her…but…I just didn’t _think_. When I cam across you after Qui-Gon’s death, trying to remove the chip by yourself, I was shocked…I didn’t know you were a slave until then, Qui-Gon hadn’t told me or perhaps I just didn’t want to see it…and I should have thought about your mother then. I mean, you were a slave, so obviously your mother would have been too…but I just…it just didn’t seem to register then, I was so worried about getting your chip removed and with your training and trying to be a good mentor to you…I just didn’t think. I’m so sorry, Anakin.” 

“Obi-Wan, that wasn’t your fault,” Anakin finally managed to choke out, tears welling in his eyes. He didn’t know that Obi-Wan had sent someone, that he had also been concerned. He had blamed Obi-Wan for so long, the Chancellor even pushing that that had shown Obi-Wan didn’t cared…but it hadn’t been _true_. 

“You tried when you knew I was having nightmares and that was more than anyone else ever did for me.”

“I should have pushed harder or brought it up more when you were a youngling,” Obi-Wan whispered. "I should have trusted more in your visions, I used to have them, I know what's it like...but...I was so used to being told to ' _focus on the here and now_ ' I thought it would help you."

Anakin shook his head as he wrapped his arms around Obi-Wan again, holding the quivering Jedi close. 

“Obi-Wan, you weren’t the only one who knew, remember?” he murmured. “The Council knew, Padme knew, Chancellor Palpatine knew…but no one did anything, even those with access to more funds than you,” he added bitterly, thinking of the Chancellor. “And I don’t blame you for not realizing, it…it was a trying few months after Qui-Gon died and it would have been so much worse for you since he had been your Master for twelve years.” 

“I still should have pushed Quinlan to go sooner,” Obi-Wan whispered, voice breaking. “I-I just…I never realised your dreams were of her _dying_ , I thought…I thought she was just in pain and I thought we could change that.” 

Anakin closed his eyes, burying his nose into Obi-Wan’s soft hair.

“You know she was happy when she died?” Anakin whispered. “She had been freed and had married a man who loved her; she even got a step-son. She was also happy to see me when she died in my arms.”

“Oh dear one,” Obi-Wan whispered, wrapping his arms around Anakin. Anakin shook his head.

“I…I’m the one who let her down, Obi-Wan,” Anakin mumbled, letting go of Obi-Wan so he could look away, unable to meet Obi-Wan’s eyes.

“Anakin?”

“I was so angry that she had died, that she had been tortured by those animals…that I killed them,” Anakin admitted. “I just saw red and I killed them all. The men, the women, the children…I didn’t care, I just killed them.”

Silence fell between them and Anakin clenched his fists, closing his eyes tight. 

Why did he have to tell Obi-Wan that? He didn’t want Obi-Wan to hate him.

A gentle hand rested on his chin and guided his head back. 

“Do you regret it?” Obi-Wan asked gently. Anakin gave a small nod.

“Most of it,” he mumbled. “The women and children didn’t deserve it, and I know Mum would have been so upset at me, knowing what I did in her name…but…but part of me still feels satisfied that I killed the men that hurt her.”

Anakin swallowed hard, still unable to look at Obi-Wan.

“I’m sorry, Master,” he said quietly. “I know I acted in anger and I should regret it…and, well, I sort of do…but not really.”

“I know, dear one, I know,” Obi-Wan murmured.

“I’m sorry I let you down, I know you would have never done something like that…but I was just so _angry_.”

“You think I haven’t acted in anger?” Obi-Wan asked him gently. “That I haven’t killed anyone in anger?”

“Well, yeah,” Anakin said, finally looking to Obi-Wan, who smiled sadly at him. 

“Anakin, do you really think I did not give into my anger when fighting the creature who killed my Master?” he asked. Anakin just stared at him. “I let my anger guide me when I was fighting Maul…but I let it go once he was dead. It doesn’t mean we’re Sith, dear one. There are times when we lose our way, the only difference is what we do after that.”

“What do you mean?”

“We could have embraced that anger, that darkness, and let it consume us, but we didn’t,” Obi-Wan said with a small shrug. “We still chose to be Jedi, but we understand how easy it is to fall to anger.” Obi-Wan gave a bitter smile. "Why do you think the Council was watching us so closely during the early days of your training? They had a suspicion I had given in to my anger and they were keeping a close eye on me...and on you as well."

“Do you regret killing Maul in anger?” Anakin asked carefully.

“No,” Obi-Wan answered easily. “I am glad he is dead, that is why I understand what you’re saying about not fully regretting killing the Tuskan Raiders. I am glad that you do regret killing the women and the children…but I do not blame you for not fully regretting killing the ones who killed your mother.” 

Anakin buried his face into Obi-Wan’s shoulder, shivering and sobbing, feeling relieved that Obi-Wan didn’t hate him after hearing his horrible secret. Obi-Wan shushed him as he held him close, gently stroking his hair.

“The Chancellor a-always s-said you’d hate m-me and g-get me expelled from the Jedi,” Anakin stammered, hiccupping, into Obi-Wan’s robes.

“Well, he was wrong,” Obi-Wan said firmly. “He doesn’t know me.”

“No, he doesn’t,” Anakin sniffled. “A-And, Obi-Wan?”

“Mm?”

“It’s not your fault, any of it,” Anakin told him quietly but firmly. “It wasn’t your fault that Qui-Gon took on Maul by himself, he could have waited for you. It wasn’t your fault my mum died, it was the Tusken Raiders…and Cody isn’t your fault either. Tram just had the better position. You’re gonna get him back, Obi-Wan.”

“I know,” Obi-Wan murmured. “I just feel so…useless.”

“I know,” Anakin echoed. “But it still isn’t your fault and Cody will say the exact same thing when we get him back.” 

Obi-Wan chuckled weakly as he held Anakin closer. “Force, we’re messes aren’t we?” he murmured. “Never mind Mind Healers, we just need to talk and confess to each other, huh?”

Anakin laughed weakly at that. “Yeah, I think so…nothing like a good confession and cry session.”

They both laughed, yet neither let go of the other, feeling content and reassured with the other in their arms. 

 

Rex frowned as he looked around the Archives, not sure where the best place to start was.

“Ah, young Rex, back again?” Rex turned around and smiled at the elder female Jedi, who was head of the Archives.

“Madam Nu,” Rex greeted. Jocasta Nu smiled at her, the wrinkles around her eyes deepening.

“Have you finished that book already?” she asked him. “I never knew what avid readers you and your brothers were. Ponds and Echo are in here every other day; they’ve even brought along your medic, Kix.”

“Yeah, he found out there were some medical texts in here which he really wanted to read,” Rex said with a smile. “I’m most grateful that you allow us to use the Archives.”

“Oh, dear, it’s no problem,” she reassured him. “The Archives are open to all Jedi and friends who wish to further their knowledge and I must admit, it is quite nice to see the men the Jedi fight alongside just taking time to read.”

Rex smiled and nodded. “I know Echo truly loves it in here.”

“He’s a good boy,” Jocasta laughed softly. “Now, young Rex, how can I assist you?”

Rex hesitated for a moment. “I was looking for information, but wasn’t quite sure of where to look.”

Jocasta nodded patiently.

“And what exactly are you seeking?” 

“Information about a Jedi called Qui-Gon,” Rex said hesitantly. Jocasta blinked in surprise.

“Qui-Gon Jinn?” she asked in surprise.

“I believe so?”

“He was Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Master,” Jocasta explained, looking at him thoughtfully. “I take it you didn’t know that?”

Rex shook his head. “Obi-Wan doesn’t speak much about his Master and Skywalker never mentioned him either.”

Jocasta nodded thoughtfully before she beckoned for Rex to follow her. He followed down an aisle to a row of computers. She led him towards a seat and watched as he sat down before leaning over and typing in a few commands. 

“This will show you the files we have on Qui-Gon, from mission reports and a bit more. I do hope that helps with whatever you are trying to find,” Jocasta said.

“Thank you, Madam Nu, it’s definitely a start,” Rex said gratefully. Jocasta placed a hand on Rex’s head.

“Summon me if you need any more assistance.”

“Thank you.”

Rex watched Jocasta leave, heading off to help a Padawan looking lost and confused, before he turned his attention to the screen in front of him.

“All right, Qui-Gon,” Rex murmured. “Let’s see who you were and why Quinlan Vos hates you so much.”

Rex had already decided that if he couldn’t find the information here, that he would go bail up Vos and get him to talk. After all, this was about Obi-Wan, his _ori’vod’s cyar’ika_ , and until Cody came home, Rex would make sure Obi-Wan was okay.

Hours later, and the search had yielded frustratingly little. All Rex had discovered was Qui-Gon was terrible at filing reports for missions and they only got filed if Obi-Wan had been on a mission and had written a report himself.

Rex sighed as he powered down the computer, resigning himself to talking to Vos. He got to his feet and headed out from the Archives.

He should probably bring Vos a peace offering, something to soften him up.

 

An hour later, he stood out in front of Vos’s quarters, plate in hand. The door opened and the Kiffar male blinked, staring at Rex in surprise.

“Rex,” he greeted. “Never expected to see you at my door.”

It was then that Rex realised that no one greeted him by calling him ‘Captain’ anymore. They had all forgone the title…and Rex found himself not actually minding; he didn’t feel like a Captain anymore.

“Vos,” Rex greeted in return, then offered the plate, watching as the Kiffar’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “I wanted to talk to you.”

Vos sighed and nodded, stepping aside to let Rex into his apartment. Rex walked in and Vos led him to the couch, grinning as he took the plate from Rex.

“I’ve heard rumours about your cooking and I hope I’m not getting the reject batch,” Vos teased as he placed the plate down. 

“The reject batch gets sent to Palpatine, with a note from Mas Amedda,” Rex said with a sly grin. Vos snorted at that as he sat down, watching as Rex did the same. 

“So, what can I do for you, Rex?”

“I had a session with Bant yesterday,” Rex said carefully, “and we were talking about Obi-Wan and how he blames himself for things out of his control and Bant said that you would blame it on Qui-Gon…I don’t think she meant for me to hear that part,” he added, seeing Quinlan raise an eyebrow in surprise.

“Ah,” Vos murmured. “Why does that interest you?”

“Obi-Wan is my brother’s _cyar’ika_ , his beloved, and while Cody isn’t here…I want to make sure Obi-Wan is okay,” Rex explained. Vos sighed and gave a nod.

“I grew up with Obi-Wan,” Quinlan explained. “Well, I was a few years older, but I got along with the little dork and his band of friends, especially since he was a bit of an outcast, much like me.” 

“He was an outcast?” Rex asked in surprise, thinking of how well liked and respected Obi-Wan was in the Temple.

“As a youngling, yes,” Vos answered with a sigh. “I don’t know why. He was talented enough, he had been in the Temple since he was just a few months old, but he had a strong grasp of the Force. He used to get some terrible Force visions, which Yoda used to come see him about, which might have put him on the outer amongst the other younglings…but he was a good kid, little quick to anger, but with how much he was bullied, I don’t blame him.”

“So, where does Qui-Gon come into this?”

“I’m getting there,” Vos said, amused. “You need to understand Rex, before the war, the Jedi Temple was a different place with different rules. Before the war, when an Initiate turned thirteen and hadn’t been chosen as a Padawan, then they aged out and were assigned to a Corp of their choice; whether it be the AgriCorp, EduCorp etc.”

Rex just stared in shock. Vos gave a wry smile at his expression.

“Yes, things are different now with the war…but it was harder back then,” Vos murmured. “Obi-Wan was quickly approaching his thirteenth birthday and yet he hadn’t been chosen as a Padawan yet. I couldn’t understand why; sure he was all gangly limbs and occasionally tripped over his feet, but he was one hell of a fighter and a good friend who defended those being hurt. My Master couldn’t understand either. He had heard that several Masters had approached Yoda about apprenticing Obi-Wan, but Yoda turned them down, saying that wasn’t the Force’s wish.”

“What was it wish?” Rex asked in disgust.

“Well, my Master, Tholme, believed that Yoda wanted Obi-Wan in his own lineage and was pushing him towards Qui-Gon Jinn, who had refused to take a Padawan after what had happened to his previous Padawan.”

“Obi-Wan wasn’t Jinn’s only Padawan?”

“No, he had two before Obi-Wan,” Vos explained. “First one was Feemor, who became a Knight and was a good Jedi, and the second one was Xanatos, who fell to the Dark side.”

Rex swore under his breath and Vos nodded in agreement.

“Qui-Gon was so destroyed, so betrayed by Xanatos’s Fall, that he refuted all of his Padawans, which included Feemor, and swore never to take on another Padawan.”

“Poor Feemor,” Rex murmured. “What happened to him after that?”

“I’m pretty certain Feemor is still around here somewhere,” Vos said thoughtfully. “I think he hides in the lower levels now with all of the artifacts. He was pretty brainy, really humble guy too.” 

Rex made a mental note to chase this guy down. 

If he could get a brother back with Puck, surely Obi-Wan could gain a brother in Feemor. 

“So, Qui-Gon refused any more Padawans,” Rex repeated. “So how did Obi-Wan end up as his Padawan?” 

“If I’m going to continue this, I need a drink,” Vos explained as he headed towards the kitchen. “Rex, you want one?”

“Not allowed to drink,” Rex said reproachfully. “Master Che’s orders.”

“Ah, don’t want to anger her,” Vos agreed. “Want a juice or water or something then?” 

“Uh, juice please.”

Vos nodded and busied himself getting the drinks. 

“I had some Jawa Juice,” Vos said as he set a glass in front of Rex. “Aayla always tries to make sure I’ve got food. I’m certain she thinks I can’t look after myself.” Vos smiled fondly at that. “For my old Padawan, she certainly acts more like my Master.”

Rex snickered at that and Vos sighed as he helped himself to one of Rex’s biscuits.

“Okay, so where was I?” Vos mumbled. “Ah yes, why Qui-Gon was such a dick.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I don't think Qui-Gon is a complete dick, that's Quinlan's thoughts...but you have to admit, the more you read about Obi-Wan's early days the more you realise Qui-Gon isn't as great as you remember him to be...
> 
> Also, next chapter may take a bit longer, I don't know...due to work issues, my anxiety has become a bit overwhelming and it can be a bit of a hassle trying to get my thoughts in order so I can write you a good chapter that isn't choppy and all over the place.


	4. A Master's Past

“Okay, so Yoda had organised for the Initiates to have a spar and all prospective Masters came along,” Vos explained. “Qui-Gon came to watch a spar and it ended up being Obi-Wan against his bully, Bruck Chun,” Vos continued. “Obi-Wan won but Qui-Gon rejected him, saying that he was too angry, which left Obi-Wan rather heart-broken and morose.”

Rex just blinked in shock.

“So, with Qui-Gon’s rejection, Obi-Wan was put on a transport to the AgriCorps two weeks before his thirteenth birthday.”

“But he wasn’t thirteen yet!” Rex protested. Vos nodded, looking at the amber liquid in his glass bitterly.

“And he wasn’t given the choice of where to go either,” Vos growled. “The Initiate is supposed to choose their own path after that. Obi-Wan would have been great in the EduCorps, I could definitely see him as Creche Master…but he wasn’t given the choice. He was just sent to the AgriCorp. He was so distraught by that and felt so useless because of it. All of his training and he was sent to be a farmer.”

Rex clenched his fists at that, but Vos just kept staring into his drink.

“Of course, who else was on the transport to Bandomeer - which was were Obi-Wan was being sent - on a mission…Qui-Gon Jinn of course,” Vos muttered. “I’m not completely sure on what happened, since I’ve only heard the story once years ago, but Obi-Wan was kidnapped by a group on the planet and forced into working in a deep sea mine with an explosive collar around his neck.”

Rex blinked, lost at that. “Wait…what?”

“Obi-Wan had stumbled across something he shouldn’t have, which isn’t unusual since it’s Obi-Wan, and he was kidnapped because of it,” Vos explained. “Of course, things got more complicated when it came to light that Xanatos was the one in charge of the Offworld Mining Corporation and he was attempting to eliminate the rival company so he could reap all of the profits and power.”

Rex swore under his breath and Vos nodded, frowning.

“Now, I can’t completely remember how the situation happened, but somehow Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon ended up in this bolted room and there had been charges set to blow, which would kill thousands of people. Our usual brave, selfless Obi-Wan offered to blow himself up with the explosive collar so that Qui-Gon could escape and save everyone.” 

Rex couldn’t believe what he was hearing, that Obi-Wan would offer to blow himself up so the man who so coldly rejected him could escape. 

“Of course they found another way out and managed to disarm the charges while Xanatos ran for the hills,” Vos finished, “but Qui-Gon decided to take Obi-Wan on as Padawan after that.”

“And the Council let him?!” Rex asked indignantly. “After he almost allowed a child to blow himself up?”

Vos gave a small nod. “Yep…and it just got so much worse,” he sighed before downing his drink. “I need another drink.” 

Rex watched as Vos got up to pour himself another drink before he came to sit back down. 

“So, their relationship was like quite a few Master-Padawan relationships, they argued and disagreed over things,” Vos continued once he had settled down once more. “Qui-Gon was in tune with the Living Force, which focused more on the here and now while Obi-Wan was more in tune with the Unifying Force, which was the reason he got some terrible visions…which Qui-Gon usually pushed aside as he told him to _‘focus on the here and now,’_ ” Vos muttered, rolling his eyes. “They did eventually start getting along and working together though.”

“Well, I’d hope so,” Rex sighed as he leaned back in his chair. Vos hummed in agreement. 

“So things were going well until about a year after Obi-Wan became Qui-Gon’s Padawan. There had been a civil war on Melida/Daan and the Jedi had sent a Jedi, called Master Tahl, to go and negotiate between the two. However, Tahl was taken hostage and Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were sent to save her,” Vos explained. “Now, you should know that Qui-Gon and Tahl grew up together, and their group – consisting of Jinn, Tahl, Micah Giiett and Plo Koon – were pretty close to one another.”

“Plo was friends with Qui-Gon?” Rex asked in disbelief, wondering how the caring _Buir_ of the Wolf Pack could be friends with a man like Qui-Gon.

“I think Plo was closer to Micah,” Vos said thoughtfully, “and from Tholme said, Jinn, Micah and Plo grew apart, especially as Plo and Micah were appointed to the Council.”

Rex gave a small nod and Vos smiled sadly at him.

“So Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan arrived on Melida/Daan to find Tahl. They found assistance in members of the Young - a group that had formed of the kids and teenagers from the different warring factions - who had befriended Tahl and wanted to help save her. Obi-Wan became rather close with them, especially their leader, Cerasi, as they were teenagers around his age, trying to fight for a better future than the Melida wanted to give them.”

“Brave kids,” Rex murmured and Vos nodded in agreement.

“Obi-Wan felt the same and wanted to help them, but Qui-Gon reminded him the mission was finding Tahl and taking her home,” Vos sighed. “They did find her and she was broken and blinded, so Qui-Gon wanted to rush to get her back to Coruscant, while Obi-Wan wanted to do more to help the Young. Now, don’t get me wrong, he knew helping Tahl was important, but he wanted to make sure the Council would help the Young, that Qui-Gon would…but Qui-Gon refused, saying they couldn’t intervene without a request from the Government, while the Young were just a rebel group. Obi-Wan was angered by that, saying he had promised to help, that the Young _needed_ their help, but Qui-Gon had his orders – first time he had actually chosen to follow them, mind you – and ordered Obi-Wan to the ship.”

“Obi-Wan refused, didn’t he?” Rex asked quietly. 

Vos nodded sadly. “He did and Qui-Gon told him if he stayed he would no longer be a Jedi…so Obi-Wan quit and Qui-Gon left him there, returning back to Coruscant and telling the Council that Obi-Wan had resigned and was no longer a Jedi.”

“They still left him there alone?!” Rex asked angrily in disbelief. “He was a child!” 

Rex couldn’t believe the Jedi, that Qui-Gon, had left Obi-Wan there. He was a teenager! They would have never left Ahsoka in a war-zone if she had been stubborn and demanded to stay, damn what the Council said. Rex knew Obi-Wan and Skywalker would have never left Ahsoka behind if they had been placed in the same situation.

“You all right, Rex?” Vos asked gently, breaking Rex from his thoughts.

“I just can’t believe they left him there,” Rex said in disbelief, shaking his head. “Obi-Wan would have never left Anakin or Ahsoka in a war-zone, even if the Council had ordered it…he would have _never_ done it.”

“I know,” Vos reassured him. “Though, to be honest, I would have been tempted to leave Anakin behind on some planets.” 

Rex looked at Vos at that, seeing Vos grinning at him. Rex rolled his eyes good naturedly and nodded for Vos to continue. 

“Obi-Wan has never been forthcoming about what actually happened on Melida/Daan,” Vos sighed. “I only know that he put a call out to the Council for help and they sent Qui-Gon to go help.”

“Well, that was smart,” Rex said sarcastically, making Vos snicker in amusement.

“I agree with you there.”

“So what happened?”

“Well, after Qui-Gon left, Obi-Wan, Cerasi and the Young managed to stop the civil war,” Vos explained. “But apparently one of the Young wanted the Elders to pay or was power-hungry or something…so that led to a fight breaking out and Cerasi, Obi-Wan’s friend, was shot and killed. Obi-Wan didn’t know what to do, so that was when he put in a request to the Council…since Obi-Wan had been elected leader of the Young after Cerasi’s death, the Council had to send someone to mediate between the warring factions.”

“Still can’t believe they chose Qui-Gon,” Rex muttered.

“Yes, well…after they sorted out that mess, found another a faction group of the Young was the one to kill Cerasi, and made sure the war was stopped…Obi-Wan came home with Qui-Gon, and the Council were reluctant to reinstate his Padawan status and put him on probation.”

Rex struggled not to swear at that and Vos smiled at him sympathetically, understanding his feelings.

“We kept close to Obi-Wan, though we felt a little hurt that he had left us, we were just glad he was back,” Vos explained before sighing. “And then of course, Xanatos reared his ugly head again. He had been planning to kill Yoda and Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan managed to find him before he put his plan into effect…but Xanatos had had an accomplice within the Temple, who had kidnapped Bant after she had come close to discovering his plans, and it was then they discovered that Xanatos’s accomplice was Bruck Chun, Obi-Wan’s bully. Obi-Wan had to fight him, struggling to get past him in order to rescue Bant, who had been chained up at the bottom of the waterfall pool in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. Chun slipped and Obi-Wan tried to save him, but Chun preferred to die for everything he had done, so he let go and fell, which broke his neck and killed him.”

“How’d the Jedi take that?”

“They realised it wasn’t Obi-Wan’s fault,” Vos said. “Chun’s father attempted to get Obi-Wan prosecuted for Bruck’s death, but Qui-Gon managed to step in at the last moment to save him with a recording from a device hidden inside Bruck’s lightsaber, which showed Bruck’s last conversation and that Obi-Wan tried to save him.”

“Huh,” Rex murmured. “At least he didn’t let Obi-Wan go to jail for something that wasn’t his fault.”

“True,” Vos sighed. 

“So, how did Obi-Wan become like he is today?” Rex questioned. “How did he become the man who takes so little care of himself and blames himself for that he cannot control?”

“I blame Qui-Gon,” Vos said firmly. “You know this already, but Qui-Gon wasn’t as attentive to his Apprentice as he should have been. After missions where Obi-Wan would have been hurt, Qui-Gon would just go and do his own thing and leave Obi-Wan to take care of himself…and Obi-Wan hated the healers, so that didn’t help.”

Rex snorted in agreement at that. He had seen Obi-Wan avoid the medics.

“Obi-Wan just wanted Qui-Gon to trust him, so he pushed himself hard and would forget to take care of himself in that pursuit,” Vos sighed. “He just wanted to be the perfect Padawan for Qui-Gon, especially since Qui-Gon always seemed to hold him away at arm’s length and was always critical of his actions because of Xanatos. Things just got more tense the older Obi-Wan got and by the time the Battle of Naboo came around, they were barely speaking.”

“Why did it get so tense?”

“Master Tholme believed it was mostly due to Tahl’s death,” Vos said quietly. “He cared for her and her death affected him greatly and he changed. He even distanced himself further from Plo and Micah, who were both Council members…even after Micah’s death, he and Plo were never really close again.”

Rex nodded, still frowning.

“Obi-Wan pushed himself harder because he didn’t want to be pushed aside by Qui-Gon again,” Vos explained gently, seeing Rex’s frown. “Every time he failed, or thought he failed, he’d blame himself, even if things were out of his control, because he didn’t want to disappoint Qui-Gon…which was something he was never able to overcome.”

“But surely after twelve years he wouldn't worry about that, right?” Rex asked, concerned. Vos just smiled bitterly.

“You would think so, but after we just start to begin to like Qui-Gon, he turns around and shows what a massive dick he is again,” growled Vos. “You see, just before the Battle of Naboo, Windu approached Qui-Gon about Obi-Wan taking his trials and Qui-Gon said that Obi-Wan wasn’t ready. So, jump past the Naboo blockade and Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan rescuing the Queen, having to land on Tatooine and all…they finally arrive back on Coruscant with a small boy in tow who Qui-Gon had found.”

“Anakin,” Rex said. Vos nodded in confirmation.

“Qui-Gon brings this young boy in front of the Council to be tested, but they sense darkness in him – though I don’t blame the kid, he was a slave on Tatooine – and refuse to train him…so Qui-Gon says he will train him and that he takes Anakin as his Padawan learner, which blindsides Obi-Wan completely.”

“But…he had Obi-Wan,” Rex said weakly. 

Vos nodded. “Yoda pointed that out and Qui-Gon announced that Obi-Wan was ready to take the trials, which infuriated Mace because Qui-Gon had just told him that Obi-Wan was ready…and then he goes on to say that only two weeks later. Obi-Wan felt like he was being pushed aside, all because his Master wanted to train the _‘Chosen One_ ’.” Vos shook his head in disgust.

“Of course, I didn’t hear about it until I got back,” he muttered. “I saw Qui-Gon on Tatooine but I was undercover then, so I couldn’t do anything, and by the time I got back Qui-Gon had been killed and Obi-Wan was alone with a new Padawan while he was barely a brand new Knight himself.”

Vos sighed heavily, downing the rest of his drink once more.

“I tried to be there for Obi-Wan, to support him, and, man, did he need support,” Vos muttered. “Qui-Gon’s last words weren’t to tell Obi-Wan that he was sorry or that he was proud of him…no, his last words were to tell Obi-Wan to train Anakin because Qui-Gon believed him to be the Chosen One…and Obi-Wan, being the large heart he is, promised to do it.”

“They do make a good team,” Rex said quietly.

“I know they do,” Vos reassured him, “but Anakin should have spent some time in the crèche amongst the other Initiates before they allowed Obi-Wan to take him on; they should have given Obi-Wan some time to recover from losing his Master and the subsequent snapping of the training bond, which apparently really hurts when it’s snapped instead of dissolved…but they didn’t give him that and Obi-Wan struggled. He always felt he wasn’t good enough for Anakin and his anxiety really played up with that.”

“I don’t think another Jedi would have done so well with Anakin,” Rex said. “He’s…well, _outgoing_ , I don’t want to think how much worse that would have been when he was a cadet.” 

Vos snorted with laughter. “Multiple his current energy levels by about ten and you have Anakin as a youngling.” 

Rex laughed at that, grinning. Vos smiled at him before it faltered.

“Well, that should explain why Obi-Wan is the way he is,” he murmured. “I hope that helped.”

“It does, Vos, thank you,” Rex said. “I think I might know how I can help at least…but…thank you.”

Vos inclined his head and Rex stood up to leave before pausing.

“Hey, Vos, why don’t you have your own battalion?” Rex asked. “Obviously you care and I know a lot of brothers would be better off having you as a General compared to someone like Krell.”

Vos smiled sadly. “Don’t take this personally, Rex, I know you’re great guys and all…but every time I’m around any of you, I feel uneasy,” he admitted. “I know it’s something my psychometry is causing me to see, so while I know you’re all loyal, good men, there’s just something that’s making me uneasy...and I do better by myself, it's easier being a Shadow that way.”

Rex gave a small nod, not quite understanding, before he left.

 

Echo stood nervously in front of the doors of the Council Chamber, fidgeting with his helmet nervously as he held it in front of him. A hand rested on his shoulder bell, a comforting weight, and Echo glanced over to see Ponds standing beside him, smiling reassuringly at him. 

“It’s fine, Echo,” Ponds reassured him. 

“But…what if they know it was me who got that footage?” Echo asked worriedly.

“Oh, I’m certain they know…but I know they don’t care,” Ponds added as he saw Echo had paled. “I think they just want to know more.”

The doors opened and Kit Fisto poked his head out, smiling at the two of them. 

“We are ready for you,” Kit said before he stepped aside to let them in. Ponds and Echo walked to stand in front of the Council members as Kit went back to take his seat. Echo looked around, noting a few empty seats that hadn’t been filled with the holos of their respective Council members and realised only the members who were currently at the Temple were here. Echo met Obi-Wan’s tired gaze and Obi-Wan offered him a tired but reassuring smile. 

“Echo, Ponds, thank you for coming so quickly,” Windu greeted. Echo inclined his head as Ponds smiled at Windu. 

“We have had the Chancellor breathing down our necks,” Kit spoke up. “He is certain a clone is the one who leaked the footage to the press.”

“We asked what proof he had and he said he had none, but he knew it was a clone. I am certain he believes Ponds is to blame,” Windu continued, noting how Echo had paled. “I told him that unless he can find proof, we aren’t going on a witch-hunt and blaming all of the clones...after all there are so many people in the Galaxy who dislike him, I am certain it could have easily been one of them.”

“Sirs…” Echo croaked.

“We know it was you, Echo, no other has your tech talent,” Obi-Wan spoke up finally, smiling, “but we aren’t going to turn you in.”

“We wanted to know what else you found when you were perusing through the Chancellor’s security system,” Plo added, speaking up. Echo frowned at that.

“Sirs?”

“Trust him, we do not,” Yoda explained.

“It has come to our attention that something isn’t right with the Chancellor,” Windu took over explaining. “Skywalker has become uncomfortable around him, feeling an intense feeling of _wrongness_ around him, and Kit has picked that up with the Chancellor’s aura as well…not to mention how he pushed aside Cody and Rex and threatened Ponds for simply speaking up…no, something isn’t right.”

“That’s why we wanted to know if you saw something else, Echo,” Kit added gently. 

Echo gave a nod, fidgeting with his gauntlet.

“There wasn’t much else besides political stuff,” Echo explained, beginning to relax knowing that the Jedi weren’t going to have him arrested. “I do have a few videos saved of the Chancellor double-crossing people and being a complete piece of _osik_ , but I don’t know if that’ll help.”

“Could you send us the files?” Kit asked curiously. “I think we’d be intrigued to look over them, maybe see if we can discover the _wrongness_ we’re sensing.”

Echo nodded. “Of course, I was only keeping them for future discrediting use.”

Obi-Wan snorted at that, grinning at Echo. Echo smiled back. 

“Oh, and there was something else,” Echo said, suddenly remembering. “When I was looking through the hours of footage, there were sporadic instances of the Chancellor looking all angry and telling his secretary not to bother him, before he pushed a button on his desk and the surveillance cut out.”

“He cut the surveillance in his office?” Windu asked, surprised.

Echo nodded once more. “And it was only for about ten to fifteen minutes at most.”

“Maybe he didn’t want the cameras catching him throwing a temper tantrum?” Kit suggested.

“No, I’ve seen him lose it in the footage,” Echo said. “This is something else.”

“Is there a way you can override this?” Kit asked curiously. Echo hesitated.

“I can put a program into his surveillance so the next time he does that, you get a live feed,” Echo said slowly. 

“But?” Obi-Wan pressed.

“Attempting to place that in there could set off dozens of alarms,” Echo explained, “and I’m certain that he’s made sure his surveillance security system has been reinforced with traps to catch slicers. Attempting to place a program in there could lead the Chancellor back to me and the Jedi.”

“We do not want to risk you, Echo,” Plo spoke up. “Please do not do that, we will find alternative means. You are _not_ worth risking,” he added firmly, seeing Echo hesitate. 

“Thank you for your insight, Echo,” Windu added. “Kit will speak to you after about getting the recordings.”

Echo nodded, letting out a relieved breath as he begun to relax. He turned to leave but paused when he realised Ponds wasn’t moving.

“Ponds?” Windu asked, seeing his Commander still standing there. “Is everything okay?” 

“Please excuse me, High Generals…but I’ve actually had an idea,” Ponds said carefully.

“Tell us, you should,” Yoda spoke up. “Always good to hear ideas, it is.”

“I noticed how the public reacted when they saw Mace sticking up for me, a mere clone in the Chancellor’s eyes,” Ponds explained. “Suddenly they saw the Jedi in a different light, especially since they saw Mace arguing for Rex and Cody’s sake and then sticking up for me when the Chancellor threatened to have me reconditioned.”

Ponds paused for a moment, getting his thoughts in order.

“The public turned on you because they all saw you as aloof and thought that you thought you were better than them,” Ponds continued carefully. 

“It’s true,” Obi-Wan spoke up, sounding thoughtful. “The trio who helped Anakin and I plan the Osiris attack said they wanted to help because they knew Cody and I were together, and that it showed them that clones were feeling beings and that Jedi weren’t as ‘ _hoity-toity_ ’ as they thought we were.” 

“What was your idea to combat this, Ponds?” Plo asked curiously.

“Well, seeing how the public reacted to the footage of Mace standing up for us clones, I thought ‘why not show the public more’?” Ponds said. “I want the Republic to see the Jedi as the clones see you. We know the people you are, that you’re caring and kind, but aren’t afraid to have fun either.”

“So, recording us?” Kit asked, tilting his head curiously. 

“Yes and sharing the footage,” Ponds said. “Not everything of course,” he added hastily, “I would make sure the footage is cleared with you first, but things like the younglings playing or the Initiates pranking each other or the Jedi sparring with their men. I was even thinking that I’d do the same for the clones so the Republic could see that we’re actual people and we all have different personalities and likes and dislikes; like Rex and his cooking or Echo and his tech, stuff like that.”

Yoda hummed thoughtfully, looking to Windu.

“That could actually be a good idea,” Kit spoke up thoughtfully. “It allows people to gain an insight of what a Jedi actually is and that we allow our younglings to laugh and have fun…also that we still have fun as well,” he added with a large grin.

“Allow this for now, we will,” Yoda said. “Master Windu will view all footage before it is released.”

Ponds inclined his head, grinning. “Thank you. I will make sure that the clones will follow the guidelines and only I can post the footage once it has been cleared. I’ll take charge of the posting and watching the comments,” Ponds added, “since I’m Temple bound.”

Windu nodded, smiling slightly at Ponds.

“Well, Commander, you have a new job. I look forward to seeing the footage, to see the Jedi as you see us.”

“I won’t let you down, Mace,” Ponds promised before he turned, placing his hand on Echo’s shoulder and leading him out. Echo grinned and said something about meeting Wolffe. Ponds just nodded, already composing the message to send out to the private clone line they had established on the comms, so that way they could communicate without the GAR reading their every word.

Ponds grinned.

He had so many plans for this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I was Jedi of Light by Sannah and thought about the recordings part...since the Chancellor has been disgraced by that one recording, Ponds thought of how he could make the Republic see the Jedi as the clones do...so it's different to the Jedi of Light as the clones will be the ones recording and getting footage of what they think is the most important...
> 
> Cody will be back next chapter :)


	5. Attached

Cody winced as he emerged into the bright, harsh light of the Tatooine suns. He shaded his eyes for a moment as he peered out of the door of the hut. He found Jango nearby, working on an evaporator, not seeming to care about the harsh heat of the suns beating down upon him as he worked. Jango looked around as he heard Cody approach.

“Good to see you up, _ad’ika_ ,” Jango said, turning his gaze back to the evaporator. “Shows your strength is returning.”

Cody raised an eyebrow but leaned against the evaporator, hiding in its shadows to take refuge from the heat of the suns. He was still feeling a bit weak also, but he didn’t like lying about, especially since Jango had been avoiding him, only staying long enough to give Cody food and drink before he quickly disappeared. 

“I hate lying about,” Cody said simply. “I needed to get up.”

Jango nodded as he tightened a bolt. Cody just watched him for a moment.

“You still haven’t told me why you let Boba believe you were dead,” Cody pointed out. Jango sighed, giving Cody a look.

“You’re not going to drop this, are you?”

“Nope,” Cody answered with a grin. “You always did teach us not to give up.”

Jango glared at him. “Taught you too bloody well,” he muttered under his breath.

Cody just shrugged, staring at Jango until he sighed, grumbling under his breath. Jango tightened the bolt a bit more before he finally looked back at Cody. 

“It was safer for Boba if everyone thought I was dead,” Jango said.

“You’ve said that, but not why you believed that,” Cody countered, gaining an unimpressed look from Jango. 

“I was getting to that,” he growled before he sighed heavily. “I requested Boba as part of my contract, wanting a son of my own…but that also gave my employers a weakness to use against me,” Jango explained. “I would do anything to protect Boba and they knew it.”

“So why fake your death?” 

“I knew too much,” Jango said simply with a shrug. “They knew that if the Jedi got their hands on me, I could tell them information, so I knew they wouldn’t chance it and they would use Boba to get me…so I made them think I was dead and kept Boba in the dark to protect him.”

Cody stared in shock and Jango glanced at him, giving a gruff chuckle.

“I know, sounds ridiculous but it was safer for Boba and I will not risk him.”

“I get that,” Cody murmured, “but wouldn’t he have been safer with you?”

“Harder to hide in plain sight with a kid by your side,” Jango muttered, “and they wouldn’t target him if they saw he was by himself, that he wasn’t by my side.”

Cody sighed and slid down the evaporator to sit on the sand, feeling a bit light-headed. Jango looked at him in concern. 

“You all right, Kote?” 

Cody gave a small nod at Jango’s concerned question.

“What information is so important that your employer would threaten Boba for?” Cody asked before frowning. “Wait…aren’t the Jedi your employers?”

Jango shook his head with a dark chuckle. “No, the Jedi weren’t the ones who employed me. I was hired by man called Tyranus, who is actually Count Dooku.”

Cody stared at Jango horrified before leaping to his feet. “He was the one who ordered us?!” 

Jango gave a half shrug. “I don’t know if he was following Jedi orders, there was a discussion of another Jedi called Sifo Diyas who was apparently the one who placed the order with Kaminoans,” Jango said slowly, carefully, “but Dooku was the one who hired me to be the template. I don’t know his reasoning to help the Jedi or the Republic…but I didn’t ask; that’s what gets people killed.”

Cody frowned, deep in thought, as he stared blankly at the sand. Jango gave a wry smile.

“Now you get my predicament,” Jango said with a small snort. 

“I have to tell the Jedi,” Cody said suddenly, looking at Jango. “I have to get back and warn my Jedi.”

“No,” Jango said firmly. “I’m not letting the Jedi take you back, not after they let this happen to you!”

“That’s my choice!” Cody snarled back. “I’m not leaving them!”

Jango shook his head firmly. “No.”

“You don’t get to do this!” Cody yelled. “You aren’t my father! You were the DNA donor, not my father! Boba is your son and you’re **his** _Buir_ , but you aren’t mine! I have to get back to my Jedi, to Rex, my brothers…I _need_ to warn them and I _need_ them.”

Jango just stared at Cody before he sighed. 

“You know, when I took that job, I had planned not to get involved with you,” Jango said calmly, meeting Cody’s amber eyes. “I had planned to remain detached…but then I watched you, saw you all developing personalities and likes and dislikes; I watched as you stood strong to all the horrors that Kaminoans and trainers, myself included, threw at you…and I couldn’t remain detached. I came to care for you, especially the squads I looked after, like yours, Kote, and I wanted so much to protect you from the Kaminoans and their idea of training and _‘perfection’_. I tried to save as many as I could from culling, from the torture training, but the Kaminoans had their orders and I couldn’t do anything but look out for you, be there for you when you needed me.”

Cody just stared at Jango, amber eyes wide. 

Jango smiled sadly. “When I made reports to Dooku, I mentioned you all, told him that the Kaminoans training was absurd, especially how they treated the babies, and how they treated you, just mere children and teenagers…and I think he knew that I was coming to care for you,” Jango looked away. “I spoke highly of you in the messages as well, of your squad, and I think he saw that I was no longer detached, that I had become attached to you all…but he never tried to do anything and sometimes I wonder why.”

Jango shook his head at that, chasing away the errant thought and looking to Cody.

“You may not think I’m your _Buir_ but I have thought of you, of Rex, Wolffe, Ponds, Bly, Gree and others as my sons since you were little and full of light and life.”

Cody’s face softened slightly at that admission and Jango sighed as he bent down, picking up the tools.

“And that is why I will not allow you to go back, Kote, I do not want to lose any more sons and you’ve been through enough. They don’t deserve you, Kote, and I will _never_ let anyone hurt you again.”

Cody just stared after Jango, shocked, as Jango headed back into the hut. 

 

“So, how have you been, Rex?” 

Rex smiled slightly at Bant as he settled back down on the cushions. “I’ve been okay,” Rex admitted. “I’ve found something to keep my mind busy.”

“Oh?”

“I want to look after Obi-Wan while Cody isn’t here,” Rex explained, fiddling with a loose thread on his shirt. “So…I went to speak to Vos about Qui-Gon Jinn.”

Bant stared, shocked, before she recovered herself. “I-I’m not sure that’s the wisest idea, Rex,” Bant said softly. “You’re meant to be focusing on your own recovery.”

“It helps,” Rex admitted. “I’m used to looking after others and…and it helps to focus on something else.”

Bant sighed and gave a small nod. “Okay, so what did you find out about Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon?”

“I found out why Obi-Wan feels the blame as much as he does,” Rex murmured. “He always pushed himself to be the best, to impress Qui-Gon but it never seemed to work.”

Bant smiled sadly.

“No, it didn’t,” she murmured. “He tried so hard to be the best Jedi he could.”

“Well, at least he had you, Vos and Garen, I think?” Rex said, watching as Bant turned her eyes downward for a moment.

“He didn’t have me for a little while,” she murmured. “I-I blamed him for the death of my Master but I soon came to realise there was nothing he could have done, she was already dying by the time they reached her.”

“Well, at least you made up,” Rex pointed out. “That’s what matters most.”

Bant looked to Rex and gave a small smile. “I thought I was meant to be the one giving _you_ advice?”

Rex snorted at that and shrugged. 

“I just get it,” he said. “A brother, one of my original squad-mates - who hated me for years - just apologized to me, and I am glad to have him back.”

“That’s good to hear, Rex,” Bant said. Rex nodded, smiling softly before hesitating.

“I heard that Qui-Gon had another apprentice, one that he refuted when another turned to the Dark Side, called Feemor,” he said slowly.

Bant nodded. “That is true.”

“Do you know where he is?”

“I believe he sticks in the lower levels, taking care of the artifacts,” Bant mused. “I think I remember him from when my Master went to look over some of the artifacts…well, feeling the artifacts, she was blind after all,” Bant added, which caused Rex to frown in thought.

“Blind?” he murmured. “Was your master Master Tahl?” 

Bant looked at Rex in surprise but gave a nod. “Yes, she was my Master until her death and that was when Master Fisto took over my apprenticeship.” 

“Sorry for bringing that up.”

“It’s okay, Rex,” reassured Bant. “I’ve had my time to come to terms with it.”

Rex nodded once more, still fidgeting with the thread on his shirt.

“How have your nightmares been?” Bant asked. “I understand Fives is being deployed again soon.”

Rex sighed and gave a small nod at that. “I still have nightmares about Cody, about Tram hurting him, or…or about Tris still being alive and coming back for me and killing the ones I love.”

Bant nodded reassuringly as Rex finally admitted his fears. 

“That’s good that you’re able to talk about it,” Bant praised him. “It’s good to admit your fears.”

“I hate being so scared,” Rex said, casting his eyes down to look at his hands. “I know Tris is dead, I killed him myself, so why am I so scared of him coming back?”

“That’s natural, Rex,” Bant said softly. “Tris hurt you, tortured and humiliated you, it’s no wonder you’re still fearful. That man tormented you, hurt you for six months, it does not surprise me that he still haunts your dreams and that is something that will pass, as you talk and as you face your fears and face what Tris has done to you, you will become stronger and will be able to force him out.”

Rex nodded silently.

“Do you know what you will do once Fives goes back to the front? Who will you go to when your nightmares overwhelm you?” 

“Ponds…or Obi-Wan,” Rex murmured before adding, “or you.” 

Bant smiled and nodded. “I’ll always be here if you need to talk, Rex, always.”

Rex smiled at her, eyes glancing to the plate he had brought in with him. Bant followed his gaze and smiled warmly.

“I am most thankful for the kelp slice too,” she said. “I haven’t had any for a long time.”

“I hope I got the recipe right,” Rex said sheepishly. “I’ve never cooked anything like that before.”

“Well, if it’s anything like your previous baking, which I’ve heard so many compliments about, I’m sure it will be amazing.”

Bant smiled as Rex bowed his head, though she saw the blush across his cheeks. 

“Rex,” Bant said gently. “Is there anything about your time with Tris that you want to talk about? How he hurt you or…?” Bant trailed off, looking to Rex.

Rex felt a lump in his throat as he thought of how Tris used him, threatened him, hurt him and humiliated him. He could feel his heart racing, his breathing becoming shallower.

Rex gave a small shake of his head and Bant nodded understandingly.

“Take your time, Rex,” she reassured him. “In time you’ll find it easier to talk about.”

“When?” Rex choked out. 

“Well, there’ll be a time when you’re comfortable enough to say one thing about what happened, whether it be how he threatened you or something, and then after that you’ll find that that opens up a dam and you find it easier to talk then.”

Rex nodded once more, swallowing harshly. 

“I know it’s frustrating,” Bant said softly, “but that time will come and you shouldn’t force yourself, not until you’re ready.” 

Rex looked up, meeting her soft, reassuring silver eyes and nodded, relieved that Bant wouldn’t press him until he was ready. 

 

Obi-Wan tiredly rubbed his eyes, sighing as he got to his feet as his door chimed. He opened the door and paused.

“Rex,” he croaked in surprise. Rex smiled softly at him.

“You look like _osik_ , Obi-Wan,” Rex said gently before offering a plate. “You haven’t been eating, have you?” 

Obi-Wan smiled weakly at Rex before stepping aside and inviting him in. Rex nodded and walked inside, placing the plate of pies on Obi-Wan’s coffee table and sitting on the couch. Obi-Wan walked over to join him. 

“It is good to see you, Rex,” Obi-Wan murmured as he sat beside him, “and…and I’m sorry that I haven’t seen you since we brought you back.”

“It’s all right, Obi-Wan,” Rex soothed him. “I get it. I remind you of Cody.”

Obi-Wan winced at that and looked away. “It’s not that,” he whispered. “I am so glad we got you back but –,”

“You worry for Cody,” Rex finished. “I get it, Obi-Wan, I truly do…I miss him and am worried for him too.”

Obi-Wan reached out and squeezed Rex’s hand. Rex smiled back and squeezed his hand in return. 

“You should eat,” Rex said, pointing to the plates. “Cody would be so upset to see you all skin and bones.” 

Obi-Wan gave him a look and Rex just grinned, making Obi-Wan roll his eyes fondly but he still reached out and took a pie. Rex settled back, content, as he watched Obi-Wan eat. He smiled at Obi-Wan as Obi-Wan took his fourth pie.

“Hungry, Obi-Wan?” Rex pressed gently. Obi-Wan gave a small nod.

“Yeah,” he mumbled. Rex’s hand rested on his shoulder and squeezed softly.

“I am glad to hear that,” Rex said, “and I am glad to see you eat.” 

Obi-Wan smiled weakly but continued to eat, though he glanced at Rex. “How are you going, Rex?” he asked softly. “I-I heard you’re seeing Bant.”

Rex nodded, giving a small smile.

“I’m trying to get better,” he admitted. “Bant’s very helpful, she isn’t pushy and doesn’t make me feel like a failure.”

“She’s good like that,” Obi-Wan smiled, “and I am glad to hear you’re talking. It doesn’t do you good to keep it bottled up like that.”

Rex nodded once again. “Yeah, I know. I-It’s still hard though. I can’t be touched if I can’t see them coming to me, like Fives can’t hug me from behind or I freak out and I keep having nightmares.” 

“I understand that,” Obi-Wan murmured. Rex looked at him, meeting his gaze and thought of what Vos had told him, of how Obi-Wan had been left in a war-zone when he was just a teenager, how Obi-Wan had had his bond with his Master forcefully snapped as he watched his Master die. 

“I know,” Rex said, sadly smiling at him. 

“I thought you would hate me,” Obi-Wan whispered, looking away. 

“Why?” Rex asked, shocked as he stared at Obi-Wan, whose shoulders had slumped.

“Because I failed to save Cody, your _ori’vod_ …I just…I just wasn’t fast enough.”

Rex immediately turned, placing his hands on Obi-Wan’s shoulders and turning Obi-Wan to face him.

“Obi-Wan,” Rex said firmly, making Obi-Wan’s eyes reluctantly flick up to meet his. “It was _not_ your fault. I _know_ you and I _know_ how much you love Cody…and I know you would have done your best and more to rescue him.”

Obi-Wan went to speak, probably to contradict Rex’s words and blame himself more, but Rex wasn’t having it.

“No, Obi-Wan, you listen to me,” he said, almost sternly. “Don’t try putting the blame onto yourself when I know you risked your life to save him by jumping onto that ship. I know that you would have killed yourself in that second attempt to jump back up if Skywalker hadn’t stopped you, but you were so desperate to try it because of how much you love Cody…and that’s how I know you did all you could. Don’t blame yourself for this, Obi-Wan, it was out of your control, it was out of everyone’s control.”

Obi-Wan looked into Rex’s sincere gold eyes before he broke down into sobs. Rex quickly gathered him into his arms and held him close. Rex ran his fingers through Obi-Wan’s hair soothingly, though it suddenly jarred how familiar it was to Cody doing this to him while they had been both been captives. 

“You did good, Obi-Wan,” Rex murmured in his ear. “You did your best and I am so grateful that you did…and I’m glad Cody saw that too.”

Obi-Wan sobbed harder against Rex’s shoulder and Rex just continued to murmur reassuringly in his ear, praising him for doing his best. He knew he just had to praise Obi-Wan, to let him know that his best was good enough. He just hoped that would help with Obi-Wan’s horrible tendency to blame himself for things out of control. 

Finally, Obi-Wan pulled back, sniffling as he scrubbed at his eyes.

“Sorry,” he croaked. “I shouldn’t be crying on you…you’ve got enough to worry about without me.”

Rex rolled his eyes at that and tugged Obi-Wan closer.

“You’re my _vod_ , Obi-Wan, and I’ll worry about you, like I worry about all of my brothers, because you’re _aliit_ ,” Rex murmured softly. “You’re my _ori’vod’s_ beloved, his _cyar’ika_ , and I’m grateful every day that he found you.”

“I shouldn’t have let you be taken,” Obi-Wan whispered.

“That wasn’t your fault either,” Rex told him firmly. “None of us saw that happening, we weren’t expecting bounty hunters with sedative darts to be out in the battlefield.”

“I couldn’t find you.”

“Cody knew you weren’t going to give up on us, on him,” Rex murmured. “That’s what kept him going, Obi-Wan, he knew you would come for him.”

“What about you?” 

Rex smiled sadly. “I had Cody and I knew you weren’t going to give up on him or me.”

“You’re one of my closest friends, Rex, I was never going to give up on you,” Obi-Wan said quietly. Rex stared at Obi-Wan in surprise. He had never thought that Obi-Wan would think of him as a close friend. A lump formed in Rex’s throat and he pulled Obi-Wan close again, hugging him tight.

“I mean it,” Obi-Wan murmured into Rex’s shoulder. “You are one of my best friends, Rex. You never judged me and you liked me for who I was, Jedi or not.”

“You’re a good man, Obi-Wan,” Rex agreed. “You treated us like individuals, always learning our names and always able to tell us apart; you encouraged us to find our individuality and to become more comfortable in ourselves…and you saved Cody from a horrible Admiral. You brought my _ori’vod_ back to us and Wolffe, Ponds, Bly and I will always be grateful for that,” Rex told him quietly, voice fierce with emotion. “You know, growing up we were always told that we would could never find anyone or love anyone or start a family because that wasn’t what they made us for. They made us to be soldiers and they said that was our only purpose and no one would want clones anyway. They never believed that we would _actually_ love anyone anyway, but soon brothers found others who they loved and adored more than any other, ones they gave their hearts to.”

Obi-Wan was still, listening intently to Rex’s words.

“We know some beings might see us clones being in relationships with each other as ‘gross’ or ‘weird’…but when it comes to finding someone we love, another clone, we don’t see them as another clone, as a copy of us; we see their individuality and their differences.”

“What do you see when you look at Fives?” Obi-Wan asked quietly. 

Rex smiled as he thought of his beloved before answering softly, “I see his cheeky spirit and fierce gold eyes. I see his protectiveness and his determination, his drive to do the right thing even if it means going against orders. I know the angles of his face are similar to mine, almost identical, but I still find the slight differences that makes Fives his own person. I know all of his scars and all of his fears. I know what makes him laugh and what makes those golden eyes light up and I know what makes him withdraw and what makes those golden eyes darken with shadows, though I try to keep those shadows away.”

Obi-Wan nodded, shifting his head slightly so his forehead was resting against Rex’s shoulder. “You are all so different in the Force,” Obi-Wan added quietly. “You all shine so brightly but so differently. I know you look similar – and I say similar because there are differences, however minute, between you all – but I don’t see you as clones because of your Force signature. You all shine so brightly and differently to one another that that sets you apart for me, even without knowing all of your different personalities.” 

“What does Cody look like in the Force?”

Obi-Wan smiled as he thought of Cody’s Force signature. “He’s a shade of gold,” Obi-Wan began to explain. “So bright and so warm like the afternoon sun on a nice, warm Summer’s day; that type of warm that’s not hot but just right, that makes you feel warm and cozy and just _perfect_.”

“What about me?”

Obi-Wan lifted his head at Rex’s curious question, smiling at him warmly and examining his Force signature. He knew what Rex looked like both in and out of the Force, but he wanted to be accurate as he described what he saw to Rex.

“You’re a deep ocean blue,” Obi-Wan said softly. “There’s a calmness but there’s also a hint of a storm within you. The blue is one of those deep, comforting blues that makes you feel like you’re floating on a calm, deep blue ocean…it feels like freedom.”

Obi-Wan blinked as he focused back on Rex, who was staring at him in amazement. Obi-Wan blushed slightly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“I don’t know if that makes sense, but that’s what I see.”

“No…that…that was just –,” Rex broke off, gathering his thoughts. “I just never saw myself like that.”

Obi-Wan smiled warmly at him before leaning against his side tiredly. Rex chuckled as he wrapped his arm around Obi-Wan, feeling safe and warm next to his brother’s Jedi and _cyare_.

“Rex,” Obi-Wan said hesitantly.

“Mm?”

“You do know I’m here if you want to talk, about anything,” Obi-Wan said quietly. Rex gave a small nod, though he knew he couldn’t tell Obi-Wan, not yet. 

How could he tell him what he had seen Tram do to Cody? How could he tell him about Cody breaking down in his arms or being covered in blood after one of Tram’s punishments?

“I know, Obi-Wan, thank you,” he murmured. 

Rex knew if he had nightmares when Fives was gone he’d probably go to Ponds or Obi-Wan, just to have someone close and to chase away the fears that Tris would come for him, even though Rex knew he was dead.

“I’m just glad you’re here, Rex,” Obi-Wan said quietly. “I don’t have many friends these days.” 

Rex just clutched Obi-Wan tighter and resolved to go track down Feemor when he had the chance. He knew Obi-Wan had friends, people that cared for him, but he knew Obi-Wan didn’t see that anymore. He just hoped that Feemor would be able to help right the wrongs that Qui-Gon had done to his young Padawan, Obi-Wan, that had followed him into his adult life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there's that one  
> Trying to figure out how to word how Obi-Wan sees Rex and Cody in the Force was interesting...like I knew how I would see them, but it was hard describing it


	6. The Light Side

Ponds looked up from his datapad as he heard giggling. He had been working on some paperwork, filling out and approving requisition forms, and looking over battle plans for other battalions, sitting under a tree in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. It had become one of his favourite places to just sit, even while working on his mountains of paperwork. It was peaceful and Ponds didn’t miss being out in the barracks as much when he was sat here. 

Though his brothers and men did like to come disturb his peace when he was sat there. 

Ponds smiled as the giggling got louder and saw a bunch of younglings darting around, playing. Ponds glanced towards the waterfall, where he knew General Fisto was swimming, having seen him earlier. Kit had winked at him before diving into the waterfall pool. General Fisto had emerged slightly, only the top of his head and his eyes above the water, reddish-black eyes sparkling as he watched the playing younglings. 

Ponds tilted his head slightly and shifted his datapad so he was recording the scene before him. He had a feeling that he would want to catch what happened next. 

The younglings all gathered around the pool, not spotting Kit peeking out at them from the water. Kit slowly swam closer, the younglings still not noticing. Ponds couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face as he watched Kit sneaking up on them, his red-black eyes sparkling mischievously. 

The younglings squealed as a wave of water suddenly washed over them. They quickly spun around as Kit stood up, finally revealing himself, standing there in his swim shorts, laughing heartily.

“Master Fisto!” one of the kids whined. 

“Get him!” another crowed before they darted into the pool up to their ankles. They chased him around, lunging and trying to bring the laughing Nautolan down. 

“Come on, younglings!” Kit laughed, sending water splashing onto the younglings with the Force. Suddenly the group of them acted at the same time, sending a large wave towards Kit, which knocked him back and sent him flying back under the water in the deeper part of the pool. 

Kit popped back out of the water with a splash - which sent the younglings laughing and squealing - his grin even larger than before as his tentacles wriggled happily. 

“Ah, you’re in for it now, little ones!” 

The younglings all squealed in delight as Kit chased them around the pool. 

Ponds grinned as he stopped the recording. He quickly sent it off to Mace to watch and review.

 

Rex managed to find his way into the lower levels, gaining odd looks from the rare Jedi he passed. Rex ignored them as he glanced at the signs above the doorways until he found the one he was looking for, the one he’d found hidden away in the Archives but had located with Bant’s help. He stepped inside the room, glancing around. 

Large shelves lined the walls filled with many different items, from broken stones, to the odd coloured gem and other things that Rex couldn’t quite identify. 

He walked down towards the other end of the large room, seeing a few small tables there covered with more objects and some scientific equipment. A tall human male was leaning over a stone tablet, murmuring to himself as he looked at notes on a datapad before looking back to the tablet.

“Excuse me?” Rex spoke up, startling the Jedi. The man straightened up and Rex finally got a good look at him.

He was tall with blond hair which was streaked with white; his blue eyes stared at Rex in confusion. Rex took in the pale skin, the slightly ruffled cream tunic, and the deep wrinkles around the blue eyes.

“Can I help you?” the man asked, confused. 

“Are you Feemor?” Rex asked, causing the Jedi’s frown to deepen.

“Yes,” Feemor answered, “and who might you be? Did the Council send you here to get me for something?”

“I’m Rex,” Rex introduced himself, “and no, the Council didn’t send me.”

“Then why is a clone down in the research levels?” 

“I came to find you.”

Confusion settled deeper in Feemor’s eyes. “For what?”

Rex hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to explain it.

“You know about us clones, right?” Rex asked slowly. Feemor tilted his head in confusion but gave a small nod, prompting Rex to continue. “We’re pretty close, especially to those in our squads and our batches, the ones we grew up with and the ones we serve with,” Rex started to explain. “Brotherhood is an important thing for us.”

“I don’t get where you’re going with this,” Feemor said softly. 

“I had a brother, one of my batchmates, who I haven’t spoken to in years because he had claimed I was dead to him due to a training accident,” Rex explained, ignoring Feemor’s confused look for now. He’d understand eventually. “Recently I got him back. He looked after my men, my brothers, when I couldn’t…when I was a captive and couldn’t be home. He wanted to do that for me, to apologize, but also because that is what true brothers do.”

Feemor’s face softened slightly. “You were one of the clones who had been kidnapped, weren’t you? The one that made the Jedi go against the Senate to rescue you?”

Rex gave a small nod.

“I’m sorry,” Feemor said gently. “I did hear what had happened to you and I’m sorry.”

Rex sighed, looking at Feemor. “Do you know who rescued me? Who argued and made sure that Cody and I weren’t given up on?”

Feemor just blinked.

“It was Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

Feemor sighed and turned back to the datapad at that.

“I know you know who he is,” Rex said firmly. “I know that you’re his brother-Padawan.”

“Qui-Gon refuted me,” Feemor said simply, voice emotionless. “After Xanatos, he disowned him and he disowned me.”

“Obi-Wan needed you,” Rex said quietly. “He still does.”

Feemor gave a small snort. “I doubt it.”

Rex looked at him, frowning slightly. He couldn’t tell if Feemor didn’t care…or if he just didn’t know.

“Were you in the Temple when Obi-Wan was Qui-Gon’s Padawan?”

“No,” Feemor answered, looking back up at Rex. “When I was refuted, I couldn’t stand the looks, so I wanted to get away – that’s why I joined the artifact and archive team. It allowed me to travel away from the Temple and from Qui-Gon.”

“So you didn’t hear what happened with Obi-Wan?” Rex asked, surprised.

Feemor frowned at him. “No…”

“You didn’t know that Qui-Gon let Obi-Wan get sent off to AgriCorps? That he only took Obi-Wan as a Padawan after Obi-Wan offered to blow himself up so Qui-Gon could escape?” Rex asked; from the look of horror mounting in Feemor’s blue eyes, he could tell Feemor did not know that. 

“How about when Qui-Gon left Obi-Wan in the middle of a civil war and only gave him the option of staying on Melida/Daan or resigning as a Jedi?”

“Obi-Wan resigned, didn’t he?” Feemor whispered. Rex nodded.

“Qui-Gon then told the Council that Obi-Wan resigned and that was it…he didn’t try to go back for his Padawan, not until Obi-Wan requested help from the Council,” Rex spat. Feemor leaned against the table, shaking his head in disbelief. 

“Obi-Wan was only fourteen when that happened.”

Feemor swore, straightening up and running his hand through his hair as he looked at Rex in disbelief.

“Why are you telling me this?!” Feemor asked agitatedly. “I can’t go back and fix that!”

“You can be there for him now,” Rex just answered calmly. “Being Qui-Gon’s apprentice left him with a lot of self-esteem and confidence issues. He blames himself for things that are out of his control.”

“From what I heard, Obi-Wan is a great Jedi Master; I mean, he's a Councillor for Force sake,” Feemor said weakly. “How does he have those issues?”

“From the fear that he was never enough for Qui-Gon, that Qui-Gon would push him aside…which he did,” Rex said bitterly. “Qui-Gon found my General, Anakin Skywalker, when he was almost ten years old and brought him before the Council.”

“The Council would have said he was too old,” Feemor murmured.

“They did, so Qui-Gon announced that he would take Anakin to be his Padawan learner, as Obi-Wan was standing beside him.”

Feemor winced at that. “But…Obi-Wan…”

“Yoda pointed that out and Qui-Gon said that Obi-Wan was ready for the trials, despite telling Windu two weeks earlier that Obi-Wan _wasn’t_ ready,” Rex said quietly, growling slightly under his breath. "Pissed Windu off to no end."

“That was just before Qui-Gon was killed, wasn’t it?” Feemor asked quietly. "I was studying an old Temple ruins, so I didn't get back until months after Qui-Gon had been killed."

Rex nodded. “And his last words to Obi-Wan wasn’t to tell him he was proud of him or that he was sorry – his last words were to tell Obi-Wan to train Anakin.”

“ _Sithspit_ , Qui-Gon!” Feemor hissed under his breath, running a hand through his hair agitatedly, before turning his attention back to Rex. “Qui-Gon wasn’t always like that. He was a good Master, but Xanatos broke him.”

Rex nodded. “That may be true, but his actions have caused Obi-Wan to suffer today.”

Feemor sighed, slumping down on a chair behind the desk, as he looked to Rex. 

“Why tell me this?”

“Obi-Wan is struggling now,” Rex told him. “When they rescued me, the _demagolka_ that had my big brother managed to get away with Cody…and Obi-Wan is struggling for that and blaming himself, despite almost killing himself in the attempt to save Cody.” Rex looked at Feemor, eyes narrowed as he considered him. 

“Obi-Wan is suffering because he and Cody are in a relationship,” Rex admitted, deciding he could trust Feemor. “Cody somehow knew that he wasn’t going to be rescued and tried to give Obi-Wan his marriage vows, though Obi-Wan begged him not to…not there and not then.”

Feemor sighed heavily, meeting Rex’s gaze sadly. “You haven’t found him yet?”

Rex shook his head sadly, swallowing thickly. He was still so scared for Cody. 

“What do you want me to do, Rex?” Feemor asked weakly. “I-I don’t know how I can help him or how you think I can help him. We’ve never spoken.”

“You’re still his brother in a sense,” Rex explained gently, “and Obi-Wan needs everyone that loves and supports him around him now. I hadn’t spoken to my batchmate in years but it’s been really good to have him back again. He visits me every few days to see how I’m going and just to make sure that I know he’s there for me when and if I need him.”

“I’ll…I’ll think about it, Rex,” Feemor murmured. “I just…I just need to think about it.”

Rex nodded.

He couldn’t ask more than that. 

 

Ponds grinned as he read the comments on the recording he had uploaded. He had created a holo-video channel called _‘The Light Side’_ – Mace had given him such a look after he had seen that title – and had finally uploaded the first video, after it had been approved, which was Kit Fisto playing around with the younglings. 

The channel had quickly gone viral as people were finally able to glimpse what the daily going-ons in the Jedi Temple was like. 

Ponds was scrolling through the comments, grinning and laughing at them. 

_-Oh my Stars, how adorable!_

_-So sweet to see them laughing and playing_

_-Damn, that Nautolan is hot!_

_-I’m jealous of that pool!_

_-Wait? So they’re actually allowed to play and be kids? I didn’t know that…thanks for showing us_

_-Look at those smiles! Especially Master Fisto’s!_

_-Soooo, can I have the Nautolan’s comm frequency?_

_-I didn’t know the Jedi were hiding those bodies under those robes…my Gods *fans self*_

_-I want this Master Fisto to have my babies_

Ponds stuffed his fist into his mouth at that, unable to contain the loud snort of laughter that escaped. 

“I take it you’re reading the comments?” Ponds looked up as Mace settled down to sit beside him on the grass, staring at his datapad with amusement. Ponds grinned at Mace, glancing out over the garden.

“I am.”

Mace smirked. “It seems to be going well even after the first video,” Mace said. “Kit is rather flattered by the comments.”

Ponds snorted at that again before giggling weakly, “Even the offers to have his babies?”

“He may have turned a darker shade of green at that.”

Ponds snickered once more, looking to Mace. “Well, the clones are eager now they’ve seen this,” he explained, indicating to his datapad. “I’ve got a few videos I want to review before I send them to you.”

Mace nodded, leaning back as he looked over the garden thoughtfully. “This feels right, Ponds,” he murmured, causing Ponds to look at him. “Something about this…it makes it feel like it did before, before the Battle of Naboo, before the Sith – it feels _hopeful_ again.” 

Ponds smiled, nodding at Mace.

“Good,” he said. “Because we’re all going to get through this. We’re going to find Cody and we’re going to end this blasted war.”

Mace looked back to Ponds, concerned. “How are you going with that, Ponds?” he asked gently. “With Cody still being gone?”

“I know we’re going to find him,” Ponds murmured, “but I’m still so scared for him. I know what’s happened to him, how that bastard hurts him, and I’m scared.”

“We’re not giving up on him, I promise you that,” Mace said, making Ponds smile weakly. “Have you seen Rex?”

“Yeah,” Ponds sighed. “He’s struggling. He doesn’t want to admit, the stubborn _di’kut_ but I can see it, no matter how much he tries to hide it.”

“What can you see?” Mace asked curiously.

“He’s exhausted,” Ponds explained. “He has the dark bruises under his eyes, but it’s the fact that the light has gone from his eyes and he just radiates tiredness. I know my _vod’ika_ , Mace, I know all of his tells from training…and he’s tired and struggling. I can see the panic flare in his eyes when someone goes to touch him, even if it’s Fives, it may be brief but I still see that flash of panic.” 

“It’s not going to help that the 501st is being deployed in three days, is it?” Mace asked quietly. Ponds shook his head.

“No, it’s not,” he sighed. “But I’ll be here for Rex at least.”

Mace nodded. “Obi-Wan will be here too. We’re going to keep him grounded for a little while until he recovers.”

Ponds winced at that, knowing Obi-Wan would be struggling as well. Mace looked at Ponds, seeing the forlorn look at his face and wanted to change it.

“So, show me these videos you’ve gotten from the other battalions,” Mace said, smiling slightly as Ponds’s face lit up. He smiled as he listened to Ponds chatter as he played the videos, pointing out the different brothers and discussing whether or not it would be good to share those ones.

Mace watched Ponds’s face and was glad he broke the Code and had become attached. He couldn’t ask for a better friend than Ponds.

 

Cody watched as Jango shifted around the small kitchen, preparing dinner. He had tried to help but Jango had paused, pointing the knife at him and sternly telling him to sit down. 

“Your hands are still shaking as an after-effect from the withdrawals,” Jango said, somewhat gently. “I don’t want you to cut yourself, so just sit.” 

So now Cody was sitting at the small, rickety table, watching as Jango cooked. It had been a few hours since their discussion, when Jango had refused to let Cody go back to the Jedi and the GAR. Cody had been in thought from then, trying to think of ways to convince Jango, since he knew Jango would not let him go. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get to town, Jango would stop him before he got there, and there was no way he could try and find Jango’s comm without him knowing. 

Jango brought the food to the table and sat down. Cody asked what he had been doing since Geonosis, so Jango told him of how he did his best to stay hidden, taking on odd jobs here and there as a masked bounty hunter, letting no one know his identity. 

It was after they had finished their meal and Jango had carried the plates away that Cody finally spoke up.

“You know, I get it when you say you’ve done this to protect Boba,” Cody said, voice even. Jango looked at him curiously as he sat down across from him.

“Oh?”

Cody nodded. “When…when Rex and I were taken to Osiris by Tris and Tram and told that we would be pleasure slaves, we did our best to fight back with the shock collars,” Cody explained, eyes fixed on the gouged wood of the table top. “But then they threatened our brothers if we fought them or tried to escape. Tram threatened Rex if I didn’t obey…so I did my best to obey, I didn’t want Rex to be hurt because of me.”

“Kote,” Jango breathed.

“I still wasn’t good enough. I fought back and Rex was whipped because of it, so I vowed I wouldn’t let Rex be hurt again because of my actions, that I would sit and behave like a good Pet so Rex wasn’t hurt…though I still tried to fight whenever…whenever Tram tried to rape me.” 

Cody swallowed harshly, trying to clear the lump in his throat and to hide the fact his heart was racing in his chest.

“Tram and Tris still decided we weren’t obedient enough, so they brought another factor into the situation,” Cody breathed out raggedly. “From the start they had threatened both Rex’s and my companies – Ghost and Torrent – and the men serving in it. They knew their names, they knew they could get to them and so that’s what they threatened…and we knew they could get our brothers too.”

Cody looked up at Jango, meeting his saddened gold eyes. 

“They hired a bounty hunter,” he said hoarsely. “They hired a bounty hunter to get in close to the youngest _vod_ in both Rex's and my companies.”

“Companies?” Jango asked, confused. “How young is he?”

“Well, when we talk about Torrent and Ghost Company, we’re usually referring to the Alpha squad, the leaders, within it,” Cody explained, happy to take this moment to try calm his racing heart and his twisting stomach. “Jesse, Kix, Hardcase, Echo, Fives and Tup make up Torrent Company, or the Alpha squad within it. They lead the full Torrent Company whenever we’re deployed, but they’re always Torrent, while the other men that make up the rest of Torrent are picked and rotated depending on the mission. The same goes with Ghost Company, my men, which are Waxer, Boil, Helix, Crys and Wooley.” 

Jango nodded. “So, even though they’re squads, you call them by the company name because they’re the Alpha squad within it.”

Cody nodded and Jango leaned back, waiting for Cody to continue.

“Tup…Tup is the youngest between Torrent and Ghost, having just turned nineteen,” Cody continued, voice wavering. “Tram and Tris knew how much Tup means to Rex and I, how much we protect him, and so they hired a bounty hunter to get close to him and made sure he wore a camera and mic so we could see and hear everything.”

Cody closed his eyes, clearing his throat. 

“He made Tup fall in love with him…and we had to see it, knowing our _vod’ika_ was being played, but we couldn’t fight back because all they had to do was order the bounty hunter to bring Tup to them and-and we couldn’t let Tup suffer the same fate we did, we couldn’t let our sweet _vod’ika_ be used as we were being used.” 

Cody looked to Jango, seeing his horrified face. “So we let ourselves be used, we didn’t fight back or argue or embarrass them in front of their guests, because we couldn’t let them hurt Tup. I-I don't know how he's coping since we managed to warn the Jedi about the bounty hunter. It would have broken his big, caring heart.”

Jango closed his eyes, rubbing his face warily. “He’s nineteen you say?” Jango asked quietly. Cody nodded.

“ _Kark_ , he’s only been alive nine and a half years,” Jango muttered. “They’re not meant to be sent out until they’re ten!” 

“The Senate wants more troops, so they’re being sent out younger,” Cody said.

“He’s younger than Boba!” Jango protested, getting to his feet and pacing agitatedly.

“Tup’s physically and emotionally older than Boba.”

Jango turned his glare onto him. “You know what I mean,” he growled. “He’s only been alive nine and a half years while Boba’s been alive fourteen years.”

“Longer than I’ve been alive,” Cody muttered. Jango winced at that and sat back down. 

“I forget you’re only a few months younger than Boba,” Jango murmured. 

“I saw Boba not that long ago,” Cody added quietly, watching as Jango stiffened. “He and Bossk were going to be hired to get rid of the insurgent problem that Tram and Tris were having. Tram had planned to drug Boba to use him like he was using me,” Cody said bitterly. “Tram wanted Boba because he was younger version of me.”

Cody flinched as Jango swept his arm across the table, sending the glasses and few knick-knacks smashing into the floor, as Jango swore loudly. Jango turned to look at Cody, seeing him pale, staring up at him with wide amber eyes.

Jango winced as he slowly moved towards Cody, crouching next to him, seeing Cody’s flinch before he carefully took Cody’s hands in his own.

“Sorry, _ad’ika_ ,” Jango murmured. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I just…” Cody choked before he broke off, shaking his head. Jango noticed Cody trembling and sighed softly, squeezing Cody’s hands.

“I take it Tram got angry easily?” he asked carefully. Cody gave a small nod. “And took it out on you?”

Cody nodded once more. Jango winced and squeezed Cody’s hands.

“I-I know why you want to protect Boba,” Cody said once more, voice hoarse, “and I get you want to protect me too…but I can’t stay here. I have to go home, to be with my Jedi, to be with Rex.”

“Kote, the Jedi let you be taken.”

“That _wasn’t_ their fault,” Cody said, meeting Jango’s eyes firmly. “That wasn’t their fault…and I know they went against Senate orders when they came to rescue us. Dooku liked to gloat that the Senate had ordered the Jedi to stop searching for us, but he knew that Obi-Wan wasn’t going to listen.”

Jango sighed, closing his eyes for a moment.

“Tell me something, Kote,” Jango said finally. “Tell me a reason why I should let you go back to the Jedi.

Cody smiled at that. He wouldn’t tell Jango that he and Obi-Wan were in a relationship, he knew Jango would _definitely_ refuse to let him go then, saying that Obi-Wan was using him and coercing him using his rank, but he did have another story that happened before they had even admitted their feelings to one another.

“I can do that,” Cody said before tapping his scar. “When I got this I could easily have died, many would have given up on me, but my Jedi, Obi-Wan, refused…even though it caused him to collapse from Force Exhaustion later.”

Jango nodded, standing up and pulling his chair closer to Cody’s so he could still grasp onto his hands.

“Tell me then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm not sure how old Feemor is...but I'm placing him at least 10-15 years older than Obi-Wan


	7. Cody's Scar

Cody took in a deep breath before he began to tell the story. 

“I had been serving as General Kenobi’s Commander for two months when this happened,” Cody said, indicating to his scar. “We were battling the Separatists on some godforsaken backwater planet that the Senate wanted to keep for some unknown reason. There was no one living on that planet, only wild animals that had evolved enough to survive its harsh conditions – but if the Senate wanted us there, that’s where we went, even though my Jedi protested against it.” 

Cody frowned as memories of that battle came back to him. 

“Things are a bit hazy,” Cody said quietly. “I can’t remember everything because of the head injury I received when I got this scar.”

“Just tell me what you remember,” Jango murmured, taking one of Cody’s hands in both of his and squeezing reassuringly.

Cody nodded, taking in another breath. “We had just started to push the clankers back into a retreat when one of the B2 droids sent a rocket into one of our walkers, which had previously been damaged, that we had also been using for cover. I had been close to the walker, so when the rocket hit it and made part of it explode, I was hit with a large piece of debris and shrapnel.”

Cody looked up, meeting Jango’s gaze. 

“The debris hit me with enough force that it caused my helmet to buckle and cave in around my skull, digging into my skin,” Cody explained quietly. “I collapsed then and was knocked unconscious, so I only know what happened from the others telling me.”

Jango squeezed Cody’s hand, waiting for him to continue. Cody closed his eyes, remembering the footage he had watched from Crys’s helmet when he had been laid up in the medbay.

 

_There had been a yell of ‘INCOMING’ before a loud explosion, not giving the clones any time to duck or throw themselves behind some sort of cover. Debris and shrapnel from the downed walker went flying, hitting the clones in its path._

_“The Commander is down!” someone shouted. Crys had looked around then, spotting Cody lying on his side, back to him, and quickly darted over. Helix was already sliding to a stop next to Cody and quickly but carefully rolling him onto his back. Waxer and Boil had arrived by then, Waxer kneeling beside Cody as Boil took up a defensive position with Crys, making sure no clankers crept up on them. Helix started swearing up a storm when he finally got a good look at Cody._

_“What is it, Helix?” Crys asked worriedly. “Is he okay?”_

_“His helmet has caved in around his face,” Helix growled. “I can’t get his helmet off.”_

_“Is he injured?” Waxer asked, golden eyes looking from Helix to Cody worriedly. Helix brought out his scanner, wincing at the results._

_“The helmet is pressing against his skull,” Helix said. “We’ve got to find a way to get it off him to relieve the pressure so he isn’t left with permanent brain damage.”_

_“We’ve got to call an evac for him,” Boil spoke up, looking worried. “He’s unconscious, right?”_

_“Yeah, for the moment,” Helix murmured, hands pressing here and there, drifting over the rest of Cody’s armour and taking in every small crack and fracture within the plastoid._

_“Helix, what’s going on?” came a sudden worried voice before, “Cody!”_

_Obi-Wan fell to his knees beside Cody, Waxer shifting slightly out of the way. Obi-Wan’s hands hovered over Cody’s fractured and distorted helmet._

_“Helix?”_

_“His helmet has caved in around his skull and is pressing against it in certain spots,” Helix explained. “We’ve got to get him evac’ed, sir, so we can work on getting his helmet off.”_

_Obi-Wan frowned, looking at Cody worriedly._

_“What’s the time frame?” he asked. “Before the pressure on his skull becomes serious?”_

_“Not that long,” Helix admitted quietly. Obi-Wan nodded, face becoming hard._

_“Boil, Waxer, Crys, Wooley, you keep an eye out and warn me of any danger,” Obi-Wan ordered. “Boil, tell the men to make a perimeter and hold this spot.”_

_“Yes, sir,” Boil said before darting off._

_“Crys, I need you to order an evac for everyone. Screw what the Senate wants, we’re getting off of this rock.”_

_“On it, sir.”_

_“General?” Helix asked quietly._

_“Helix, I need you to keep an eye on Cody’s vitals,” Obi-Wan ordered. “I’m going to try work this helmet off of him.”_

_Helix nodded, shocked, watching as Obi-Wan shifted his hands to hover above Cody’s helmet._

_Then Cody started writhing, waking up, before crying out in pain._

_Obi-Wan quickly moved his hands to rest on Cody’s shoulders. “Cody, we’ve got you, you’re okay,” Obi-Wan soothed._

_“Head…hurts…” Cody groaned out. “C-Can’t see…”_

_“We’re going to help with that,” Obi-Wan reassured him. “You’re safe, Cody, and I need you to **sleep**.”_

_Cody went still from the power of the Force suggestion, body relaxing. Obi-Wan sighed heavily before he shifted his hands once more and closed his eyes._

_Helix kept an eye on Cody’s vitals, but watched in amazement as the parts of the helmet that had been caved in started to shift and warp, slowly pulling away from Cody’s face and head._

_Helix looked up at Obi-Wan when he noticed his hands trembling above Cody’s helmet. Obi-Wan’s face was pinched, his eyes still clenched shut in concentration, his teeth gritted together._

_“Helix,” Obi-Wan grunted out. “How’s his vitals?”_

_“Steady at the moment,” Helix answered, glancing down at his scanner. “How’s the helmet?”_

_“Almost got the last bits,” Obi-Wan panted. Helix nodded, watching Cody’s helmet once more._

_There was a loud crack and suddenly parts of Cody’s helmets, the parts that had been crushed and warped, cracked open and fell away. Helix breathed a sigh of relief as he carefully pulled the helmet off of Cody’s head._

_He swore when he saw the blood._

_“General!” Helix glanced up, seeing Waxer had caught Obi-Wan as he slumped slightly to the side._

_“I’m all right, Waxer,” he said shakily. “I’ve just over-exerted myself. Where’s the blood coming from, Helix? Is he okay?”_

_Helix gently wiped at Cody’s face with an anti-bacterial wipe, wincing as he found the source of the blood._

_“There’s a deep wound around Cody’s eye, sir,” Helix explained. “That eye is slightly swollen too.”_

_“Will he be able to see from it?” Waxer asked worriedly as he still held Obi-Wan up, supporting him._

_“I won’t know until I get him back to the medbay and clean it up so I can run tests,” Helix admitted._

_“Sir, the ships to evacuate us will be here shortly,” Crys said as he came back over. “Is Cody going to be okay?”_

_“His vitals are good,” Helix reassured them, “but I’ll have to see about his eye when we get back to medbay.”_

 

Jango blinked in surprise. “Kenobi called an evacuation because you got injured?”

“He said that was part of the reason,” Cody said with a small smile, “but when I was injured, he realised that this battle was a lost cause and men were dying over nothing and he was over that happening. He copped a lot of flak from the Senate when we returned, but he didn’t care and said he’d do it again.”

Jango lifted his hand to touch Cody’s scar. Cody’s amber eyes watched him closely. 

“Clearly you didn’t lose your eye,” Jango said with a small smile, making Cody roll his eyes.

“No, but if the helmet had buckled just a hair closer to my eye, I would have been blinded,” Cody said quietly. “Obi-Wan saved me from any brain damage since he worked quickly, but carefully, to fix my helmet, using the Force to bend the pieces back away from my skull. I was still in the medbay for a week with Helix hovering me to make sure I had no permanent damage to my eye, while also healing from broken ribs and collarbone from the debris that hit me.”

Jango just blinked in surprise before leaning back. “Well, Kenobi always did seem like a good sort,” he murmured, surprising Cody. Cody smiled.

“He is a good man,” he said sincerely. “He cares of us all and does his best to keep us from harm’s way, even if it means he gets hurt in the process…which drives me crazy.”

Jango gave a small smile at that, seeing the light return to Cody’s amber eyes as he spoke of his Jedi.

“He collapsed, you said?”

“Yeah,” Cody confirmed. “He had been using the Force during the battle to keep blaster bolts from hitting him and his men, not to mention lack of food and sleep, so when he focused on using the Force on the helmet to help me, he ended up over-exerting himself, which happens occasionally with Force users if they aren’t careful.”

Jango nodded once more and Cody look at him imploringly.

“He truly does care for me,” Cody murmured. “He saved me from that abusive Admiral and encouraged me to speak up. He’s risked himself to keep me alive and has stood against the Senate to keep us all alive. I need to go back.”

Jango sighed, giving a nod.

“Fine,” he said grudgingly. “You can call him tomorrow; I need to set up the comm.” 

He couldn’t help but smile at the grin that pulled at Cody’s lips, seeing the excitement in Cody’s amber eyes. 

“Thank you,” Cody breathed, relieved. His heart beat hard in his chest. 

He was going home!

“Go get some sleep, _ad’ika_ ,” Jango said gruffly as he stood up. “You still look like you’re going to fall asleep sitting up.”

Cody smiled at him as he stood up, walking towards the door so he could go downstairs. He paused in the doorway and Jango took a moment to examine him.

He could see himself there, especially since Cody was wearing his clothes, but there was also a softness to Cody’s posture that reminded Jango that Cody was definitely his own person. 

“Thank you,” Cody murmured finally, looking back at Jango. “I-I know you don’t want me to go back…but it’s where I belong.”

“You belong somewhere safe and happy, Kote,” Jango said quietly, looking at the table.

“And I am when I’m with my men and my Jedi,” Cody replied. 

Jango nodded. “Night, _ad’ika_.”

“Goodnight,” Cody answered, before hesitating, “ _Buir_.” 

Jango quickly looked up at that, but Cody had already gone through the doorway. Jango couldn’t help the small smile that pulled at his lips at that or the warmth that curled deep in his stomach, something he hadn’t felt since he had seen Boba grinning up at him proudly just before Geonosis. 

He would watch and see who came for Cody. If it was any other Jedi besides Kenobi, he would kill them to keep Cody safe. 

 

Obi-Wan groaned as the door chimed once again and he placed his datapad aside, standing up to go answer it. He blinked up at the tall, older Jedi that stood outside. 

“Obi-Wan?” the blond Jedi asked.

“Uh, yes?”

“I’m Feemor,” the Jedi introduced himself. “I was Qui-Gon Jinn’s first Padawan.”

Obi-Wan stared, dumbstruck, at the tall Jedi, who was smiling nervously at him. Obi-Wan blinked, coming back to his senses, stepping aside to let Feemor into his apartment.

“Please, come in,” Obi-Wan said. Feemor smiled at him as he stepped inside, watching as Obi-Wan closed the door, before he followed Obi-Wan to the couch.

“Would you like a drink?” Obi-Wan asked. “I’ve got tea, water, juice and I might still have some caf somewhere?” 

“No, I’m fine, thank you, Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan nodded and sat down next to Feemor, fidgeting nervously. Feemor smiled reassuringly at him.

“I am sorry that I haven’t come to speak to you before today,” Feemor started. “It’s just after Qui-Gon refuted me…I couldn’t bear it.”

“You were his first Padawan?” Obi-Wan asked quietly. “He…he didn’t speak much about you or Xanatos.”

Feemor sighed, running a hand through his blond hair. “Well, I can’t say that doesn’t hurt, but what can you do?” Feemor murmured. “But yes, I was his first Padawan. He took me on in my later years of training after my Master was killed in a dispute.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Thank you,” Feemor smiled sadly. 

“How much younger than Qui-Gon were you?” Obi-Wan questioned curiously.

“I was fourteen years younger than Qui-Gon,” Feemor answered with a smile. “I was only eight years older than Xanatos as well.”

Obi-Wan nodded. “So you’re twenty years older than me.”

“You’re making me feel old, kid,” Feemor teased before he turned serious. “I am truly sorry that I wasn’t there for you, but after Qui-Gon refuted me, I couldn’t take the looks and mutters anymore, so I left to join an exploration and archival team to study an abandoned Temple.”

“It’s okay, really,” Obi-Wan said with a small smile. “I get it.”

Feemor shook his head. “You should have had some support. I-I’ve heard what happened within the first few years of your training, what it took for Qui-Gon to even take you on as a Padawan. I knew he changed after Xanatos…but I didn’t think he got that bad.”

“What do you mean?” Obi-Wan asked, heart in his throat. “W-Where did you hear that?”

“You have very worried friends, Obi-Wan,” Feemor just told him gently. “They wanted you to have more support, so they came to me.”

“Why you after all of these years?”

“Something about having brothers by your side,” Feemor said with a small chuckle, shaking his head. “I have to say, it resonated with me.”

“Rex,” Obi-Wan muttered under his breath. 

Feemor smiled softly. “He’s just trying to look out for you. He really cares for you.”

“I know.”

“And really, I want to help you, Obi-Wan, despite being refuted by Qui-Gon, you are my brother-Padawan and I _should_ have been there for you after all of these years. I should have come to see you after Qui-Gon’s death, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I thought you would hate to see me and then I heard you had a Padawan of your own, so I stayed away and I shouldn’t have,” Feemor explained. “I just hid away in the research levels when you needed someone, a brother, to help you, to show you that you truly did the best you could and screw Qui-Gon for trying to push you aside.”

Obi-Wan stared at Feemor in shock. “Q-Qui-Gon…”

“He tried to push you aside as soon as he found an apprentice he really wanted,” Feemor said firmly. “I heard what happened, Obi-Wan, and…and he pushed my Knighting up because he wanted to train Xanatos, so I get it, I really do. I mean, he pushed me aside after Xanatos fell. I had nothing to do with it, I would have supported him, but he refuted me and brushed off all of my attempts to contact him.”

“It’s fine, really,” Obi-Wan murmured. Feemor shifted closer, placing a large hand on Obi-Wan’s back.

“I know how you feel, Obi-Wan,” Feemor said quietly. “I know how hard that feeling of uselessness is to overcome; that feeling that you’ll never be good enough, I get it.”

Obi-Wan stared up at Feemor, meeting his sincere, caring blue eyes, and suddenly tears began trickling from his eyes.

“I-I tried my best!” Obi-Wan sobbed suddenly and Feemor pulled him close, rubbing his back. “I-I just wanted to make him proud, but it was never enough! I never focused on the here and now enough of him, I was never quick enough and I could never understand why he chose so many life-forms over me!” 

Feemor tucked Obi-Wan’s head under his chin, cradling the short, younger Jedi close. 

“I know,” he soothed. “I’m sorry, Obi-Wan, I’m sorry that you never got to see the true Qui-Gon, the one who told you he was proud of you, the person he was before Xanatos ruined him – though, I do believe some of that was still him. There was just something about him that made you feel like you could never do enough in his eyes.”

Obi-Wan sobbed against Feemor, though inside he was feeling mortified that he was crying against some Jedi’s chest who had just met – but another part of him felt a bit safer, knowing that this was his brother-Padawan and that he _understood_.

“I’m sorry for crying on you,” Obi-Wan hiccupped as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. “I’m a Jedi Master, I-I should have better control of my emotions.”

“That’s ridiculous and you know it,” Feemor said with a roll of his eyes. “You’re human, Obi-Wan, you’re allowed to have emotions and you’re allowed to express them.”

Obi-Wan smiled weakly at him and Feemor smiled at him reassuringly.

“You know, I’m glad I came to see you,” Feemor said suddenly. “I was so nervous, I didn’t know if you’d slam the door on me or tell me that you never wanted to speak to me, but I’m glad I came.”

“I’m glad you came too,” Obi-Wan said. “I-It feels weird to say this, but…but it feels _right_ that you’re here.”

Feemor smiled at him, nodding in agreement. “Now, tell me about this partner of yours,” Feemor encouraged him. “Rex told me about him and I am so happy you’ve found someone, Obi-Wan, and I know it’s odd for a Jedi to say that…but I never did agree on the whole attachments thing.”

Obi-Wan gave a shaky smile and laugh at that.

“Well, that rule may be in discussion,” Obi-Wan told him, causing Feemor to raise his eyebrows in shock. “But, yes, I have someone I love very dearly and who loves me…and I can’t find him!” 

Feemor pulled Obi-Wan close again. “You will,” he murmured. “If I have learnt one thing from this discussion it is that you’re determined, and I know you’ll find him.”

 

Fives was jerked from sleep by a fearful cry beside him. He bolted up right, heart racing as he looked for danger, only to look to the side and see Rex writhing in the bed, tangled in the sheets, chest heaving and his expression panicked. Fives quickly moved, kneeling beside Rex and managing to grab one of his hands.

“Rex!” he called out, placing his hand on Rex’s cheek. “Rex, wake up! It’s just a nightmare, Rex, you’re safe!”

Rex whimpered, pressing his head into Fives’s hand.

“That’s right, Rex,” Fives cooed gently. “It’s Fives, I’m here, and you’re safe. Wake up, Rex.”

Rex’s eyes finally flew open, pupils dilated, as he stared up at Fives, panting hard. Fives just smiled sadly at him, gently stroking his cheek and squeezing his hand reassuringly.

“Hello, my love,” Fives murmured. Rex slowly sat up, still breathing hard, hands trembling even within Fives’s hold. Fives just gently cupped Rex’s cheek in hand, tilting his head up slightly.

“Nightmare?”

“Memory,” Rex managed to whisper hoarsely. “Well, memory mixed with a nightmare.”

Fives winced and moved closer. He opened his arms invitingly, but made sure to allow Rex to make the decision. He knew sometimes after nightmares and flash-backs that Rex did not like to be touched.

Rex didn’t feel like that this time around. He leaned into Fives’s embrace, wrapping his arms around Fives’s middle as he rested his head on Fives’s shoulder. Fives murmured reassuringly to him as he gently rubbed his back, fingers tracing over Rex’s old scars.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Fives asked gently. Rex shook his head against Fives’s shoulder and clutched him tighter. Fives nodded in understanding, knowing Rex just wanted to be held and reassured.

“I can ask General Skywalker for more leave,” Fives murmured. “I don’t want to leave you alone, Rex’ika.”

“You have to go,” Rex replied quietly. “GAR will get suspicious, don’t want you to get in trouble for me.”

“Rex…”

“I’ll be okay,” Rex murmured. “Ponds and Obi-Wan will be here and you’ll be back soon.”

Fives just sighed, hugging Rex close.

He truly didn’t want to leave him, but he knew Rex wouldn’t let him get in trouble for him. Fives closed his eyes, resting his head against Rex’s, smiling slightly as he nuzzled into Rex’s hair, which he still hadn’t shaved off. 

“Do you still want the others to come by later?” Fives asked a little later. Rex nodded against his shoulder.

“Yes, I want to see them before you head off,” Rex mumbled. “And I cooked for everyone.”

Fives chuckled at that. “They’re going to be fighting each other over the crumbs.”

He smiled as he felt Rex laugh at that.

“I think Tup might be staying behind too,” Fives mused suddenly. “I don’t think he’s transferred back to the 501st yet and the 212th are still grounded.”

“He’ll come back,” Rex said quietly, having detected the trace of guilt in Fives’s voice.

“I know, I just miss the kid,” Fives sighed.

“You can ask him when he comes over later today,” Rex added. Fives nodded, smiling as Rex yawned. Fives carefully shifted so they were both laying down, with Rex partially lying on his chest.

“Try sleep some more, Rex’ika,” Fives murmured. “I’ve got you.”

“Love you, _cyare_ ,” Rex mumbled sleepily, his exhausted golden eyes slipping close.

“Love you too, Rex,” Fives whispered, smiling as a warm feeling settled over him, his heart feeling full. He held Rex close as he let his eyes slide shut, happy to have Rex in his arms once more.

 

Jango leapt to his feet at the ragged scream. He quickly darted into the spare room, finding Cody sitting up, breathing raggedly.

“Kote,” Jango said worriedly as he hurried to his side. Cody suddenly turned to the side, vomiting over the side of the bed. Jango wrinkled his nose at that, but rubbed Cody’s back soothingly anyway. Cody soon sat upright again and Jango realised that he was trembling.

“Kote,” Jango cooed softly, gently taking Cody’s hands. Cody just collapsed against him, body trembling furiously. “Nightmare?”

Cody nodded, swallowing harshly. “I-I shouldn’t have spoken about…about him,” Cody whispered. “I-I just couldn’t keep him out of my nightmares a-and he was hurting Tup and Rex a-and I couldn’t stop it!”

Jango wrapped his arms around him, holding him close. He hoped he was doing this right, it had been so long since he last had to comfort Boba from a nightmare. 

“He’s dead, Kote,” Jango murmured. “He can’t hurt you again. I put a blaster bolt through his chest…though I wish I had made his death a little longer and more painful.”

“I-I know he’s dead,” Cody choked out. “I-I just c-can’t get him out of my head. I-I just want him gone.”

“The nightmares will fade in time,” Jango murmured. “I know this for a fact.”

“H-How?” Cody stammered, still trembling. “I-I didn’t think bounty hunting would give nightmares.”

Jango chuckled emotionlessly at that. “Bounty hunting no…but being a slave, yes, that left its share of nightmares.”

Cody paused, looking up at Jango, amber eyes wide and wet from tears.

“You…?”

“Yes,” Jango confirmed softly, moving Cody so he was laying down again and pulling the covers up. “After the True Mandalorians were killed by Jedi and traitors, I was captured and sold into slavery. I was mostly used for fighting and gladiator matches, but the punishments when I failed and the blood and death left from those fights are something I never forgot – it took a while for the nightmares to stop, but they did.”

Cody nodded, still trembling. Jango stroked Cody’s sweaty hair soothingly, knowing the repeated motions would calm him, like it did with Boba, like it did with him when Jaster did it. 

“We’ll call your Jedi later today,” Jango murmured to him soothingly. “You’re almost home, Kote, almost back with Rex.”

Cody looked up at him, amber eyes tired. “I can still contact you if I need you, right?” he asked, voice almost meek.

“Of course, Kote,” Jango promised. “If you need to get away, I will come and steal you away and take all of the brothers that you want.”

Cody smiled weakly at that.

“Can you go back to sleep?” Jango asked him softly. “I’ll stay by your side until you’re asleep, I promise.”

Cody nodded, sighing softly, nuzzling slightly against Jango’s hand. Jango hummed _Vode An_ to Cody, knowing how much it used to comfort the cadets, and soon enough Cody was fast asleep, having drifted off with help from his exhaustion. 

Jango soon got up, cleaning up Cody’s sick, and leaving a glass of water on the table beside the bed. He stood there for a moment, watching Cody’s sleeping face and felt a weariness wash over him.

Jango turned and left the room, going to get some more sleep before he had to set up the comm. 

He was going to hate having to watch Cody leave with the Jedi.

 

As much as he hated it, he still stood by Cody’s side as he watched Cody dial in a familiar frequency code with shaking fingers.

“ _Kenobi_ ,” came the prim, Coruscanti accent.

“O-Obi-Wan,” Cody replied, voice shaking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, I had a lot of fun trying to work out the math for Feemor, Qui-Gon, Xanatos and Obi-Wan...but I think I got it to work for me :P


	8. The Call

Rex paused in the kitchen of his apartment, staring out into the lounge and at the scene in front of him.

Kix, Jesse, Echo, Fives, Hardcase, Puck and Tup were all sitting on the couches and on the floor, all laughing and chatting to one another. Rex just had to take a moment to drink that sight in, seeing their happy, carefree smiles and hearing their laughter and jibes at one another. It was something he thought he would never see again, that he would never be a part of again.

Kix was sitting beside Jesse on one of the couches, with Tup sitting on the floor between his legs as the medic played with his hair, braiding the long locks. Jesse was rubbing Kix’s back as he chatted to Fives. Tup was talking to Echo and Puck, laughing, as Kix braided his hair. Hardcase was grinning and nodding along to what Jesse was saying.   
Rex just smiled at the sight, a warm feeling in his stomach, as he watched his brothers.

After being Tris’s prisoner for so long, after a while he had stopped believing that he would be rescued – despite what he told Cody. He never expected to have this sort of interaction with his brothers again, even if they were rescued, he had been expecting to be snatched by the GAR and sent to Kamino to be decommissioned. He had never expected the Jedi to hide him in the Temple and get him to see one of their own Mind Healers to help him get better.

“Rex?”

Rex blinked out of his musings at Kix’s concerned voice. He looked at them, seeing them all staring at him. Rex smiled weakly.

“Sorry, got lost in thought,” he said as he carried the plates over to the coffee table, setting them down.

“All good?” Fives murmured as Rex sat down beside him. Rex nodded, watching with a small smile as his brothers all dived onto the food.

“Yeah,” Rex answered quietly. “I just…I didn’t realise how much I _missed_ this.”

Fives took Rex’s hand, squeezing softly and smiling at him. He leaned over, kissing Rex’s cheek. Rex smiled at him, leaning against his side.

“We missed you,” Fives murmured in his ear. “We haven’t been like this since you were taken from us.”

Rex couldn’t find the words, just squeezing Fives’s hand tighter. 

“Rex, this is sooo good,” Hardcase moaned suddenly around a mouthful of chocolate slice. Rex chuckled as Kix flicked Hardcase’s ear.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Kix sighed reproachfully before looking to Rex. “It’s like working with children.”

Rex just laughed, happy to lean back and watch them.

“Hey, Tup,” Echo said suddenly, pausing with a cookie half-way to his mouth. “Are you being deployed with us tomorrow?”

Tup shook his head. “No, I’m still assigned to the 212th,” he answered quietly, looking at them. 

“Well, you can keep me company then,” Rex said with a smile, which grew as Tup grinned at him. 

“Hope I didn’t miss the food,” a voice called cheerfully as the door opened. Rex looked around, spotting Ponds and chuckled.

“There’s plenty, Ponds,” he answered as Ponds walked over. Ponds mussed up Rex’s hair as he passed, causing Rex to grumble and swat at his hands. Ponds grabbed a slice and sat on the floor next to Rex’s legs, smiling at Tup who sat opposite him. 

“Are you going to cut your hair again, Rex?” Hardcase asked curiously, causing Rex to freeze.

“I…I haven’t decided yet,” Rex said quietly before smiling weakly, “I guess when I start wearing my bucket again I’ll get annoyed with it real quickly.” 

“It suits you,” Kix added with a soft smile.

“Haven’t seen it like that since we were cadets,” Puck said with a sad smile. “You shaved it off when you were transferred into Officer training.”

“Bly had a thing for pulling hair during spars,” Ponds said in a loud whisper, trying to ease the tension in the room. “Best to shave it off so he couldn’t grab hold of it.”

“What about Wolffe and Cody?” Echo questioned, happy to change the topic slightly.

“You couldn’t pin them down,” Ponds chuckled, leaning against Rex’s leg. “Cody would fly at you and kick you, making you double over, before you had the chance to move…and Wolffe would bite if you pulled him close enough,” Ponds said before a sly grin appeared on his lips. “Which I’m sure you know all about, Echo.”

Echo blushed a deep red which travelled all the way up to his ears.

“You know, I haven’t heard how that happened,” Rex said with a smile. 

“Not much to tell,” Echo muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “We just sort of clicked.”

“Echo is an ARC which makes him Wolffe’s type of crazy,” Ponds added helpfully. “They kind of balance each other out actually.”

Echo’s blush actually managed to deepen at that and he reached up to rub at his collarbone through his blacks, fingers lingering at one section. Rex tilted his head curiously at that, spotting that small notion. 

He decided against bringing it up, knowing Wolffe he was probably marking Echo. 

The others got back to laughing and teasing Echo and Ponds looked to Rex.

“Bly is coming back to Coruscant,” Ponds told him quietly. “They took heavy losses last battle and are coming back to Coruscant to regroup.”

Rex winced at that. “How heavy?”

“Pretty bad,” Ponds admitted with a low sigh. “Though one of his men sent me through a recording of Secura giving a eulogy for the men lost. Bly approved it. It was actually pretty touching.”

Rex smiled sadly. “She’s a good General.”

“She is,” Ponds sighed. 

“Is that why you were late?” Rex asked. “Putting up your new video?”

Ponds gave a small smile at that. “That might have been the reason, yes.”

“It’s a good channel, Ponds,” Rex murmured, running his free hand over Ponds’s shaved head. “I like to read the comments, it’s…it’s uplifting.”

“I’ve got to record the next time you go and deliver the sweets to the younglings,” Ponds laughed softly. “It’s the cutest _kriffing_ thing.”

Rex gave a small smile. “Maybe.” 

Ponds frowned as Rex’s expression suddenly dropped and he looked down towards his lap to hide it. He glanced at Fives, who was still clutching on tightly to Rex’s hand, but was focused on talking to Echo and Tup, so he didn’t see Rex’s expression change.

“Rex?” Ponds murmured, concerned.

Rex gave a shaky smile. “I just thought of Cody somehow seeing all of these videos,” he said quietly, “and that I hope, wherever he is, that he’s okay.”

Ponds reached up and took Rex’s free hand, squeezing that tightly. 

“He’s strong, Rex’ika,” Ponds murmured. “He’ll come home to us soon.”

 

Bly sighed, dropping his head onto the tabletop. 

He was so tired. 

The last battle had been an absolute clusterfuck, with swamps and bugs and droids and heat exhaustion…the list just went on. So many brothers had died too; far too many. 

Aayla had felt the loss too and had said a rather touching eulogy on ship once they had been evacuated, though far too many brothers were left unburied on that planet, with them having no chance to give them the burial or pyre they deserved. She had gone around to check on the men who had lost squad-mates, batch-mates or lovers and Bly retreated to the mess-hall, having already checked on those brothers but knowing they also needed space from him. 

So many brothers gone, and yet their Commanding Officer survived another battle. He didn’t blame the men for feeling bitter. He knew they would soon feel guilty for feeling that way, but he understood why they felt the way they did. 

A gentle hand rested on his back as someone sat beside him.

“Bly?” Aayla’s gentle voice said softly. “Are you okay?” 

“We lost so many brothers, Aayla,” Bly murmured into the plastic tabletop. 

“I know,” Aayla sighed regretfully. “So many good men who lost their lives needlessly.”

“Do you think Ponds is right, that the Senate doesn’t care for us?” Bly asked, turning his head so he could partially look at Aayla. “You saw the video of the Chancellor talking about the clones, you could see he doesn’t care about us, that our lives aren’t important to him.”

“Yes, I believe Ponds is right…and the Chancellor is foolish for believing that,” Aayla replied, running her fingers over Bly’s buzzed hair, knowing it comforted him. “At least now the Republic can see his true face.” 

Bly nodded against the table, sighing heavily. Aayla shifted her hand to gently rub Bly’s back.

“You’ll be seeing Rex soon,” she said softly, trying to cheer the morose Commander up. “That will be good.”

Bly smiled weakly at that. “Yeah, it’ll be good to see the _vod’ika_ again,” he murmured. “But…”

“You’re worried about Cody,” Aayla finished as Bly trailed off. Bly nodded once more before sitting up properly. 

“I’m scared for him, Aayla,” Bly admitted, fidgeting with his datapad. “I’m scared we won’t get him back.”

“Cody is strong,” Aayla soothed. “He held on for six months, I am certain he will be strong for a bit longer.”

“He had Rex with him to support him last time,” Bly countered. “Now he’s with that _hut’uun_ alone.”

“I know, my dear one, I know,” Aayla murmured, moving her hand to stroke the back of Bly’s neck comfortingly. Bly leaned against her side, exhausted. 

Bly’s datapad pinged and he sighed once more, sitting up to grab it. He smiled softly as he looked at the message.

“You’re loved by the Republic, Aayla,” he said softly, showing her the datapad. Aayla frowned and took it, taking in the image. 

She saw there was a video-file at the top, which had her in the preview, with the title _‘Brothers loved and lost’_.

“One of the brothers recorded the eulogy you gave,” Bly explained quietly beside her, “and sent it to Ponds.”

“Oh,” Aayla murmured, scrolling down to read the comments.

_\- This is so sad!_

_\- Such sweet words_

_\- You can see how much the Jedi cares for her men, look at how upset she is_

_\- Wait?? How many died?!!_

_\- Oh sweet boys, may you find peace in the afterlife_

_\- I can’t believe this…so many dead and their bodies left behind_

_\- This is so wrong, this has to change!_

_\- Wait, what language is she and the clones speaking?_

_- **Note from poster: She’s speaking Mando’a, which is the language we were taught. She’s saying ‘Not gone, merely marching far away’, which is what her men echo. It’s what we say to honour our fallen brothers.**_

_\- Thank you for that explanation._

Aayla set the datapad down with shaking hands after skimming through more comments, seeing the same thing, with the different commenters saying what a waste of life it was and how sorry they were. 

“They were good men,” Aayla said, voice hoarse. “All of them.”

Bly nodded in agreement as he took her hand. Aayla laced her fingers in between Bly’s and squeezed softly. 

“They are right,” Aayla murmured. “This war has gone on far too long with far too many casualties. It’s time to change this.”

“We will,” Bly promised, squeezing her hand. “The Chancellor will soon find how quickly public opinion will change.”

 

Obi-Wan listened as Windu, Plo and Yoda spoke, occasionally joining in here and there when he had something to add. Windu had come to his apartment and had practically dragged him from there, stopping short of throwing Obi-Wan over his shoulder like a misbehaving child, and bringing him to one of the meditation rooms, where Yoda and Plo were sitting on meditation cushions, a tea set on a small table between them. 

“You need to get out of your apartment,” Windu had said as he led Obi-Wan down the hallways. “Yes, yes, I know you’re looking over your datapads and trying to track down information, but you do need to rest, Obi-Wan.” 

So now he was sitting in the meditation room with them. He reached out and took a cookie, tilting his head as he regarded it.

“Asked Rex to cook for us, I did,” Yoda said as he noticed Obi-Wan staring at the cookie.

“He’s actually really good at cooking,” Windu said with a small chuckle. “Ponds couldn’t believe it when he first tried it.”

“I believe it helps him relax,” Plo added thoughtfully. “It is good to know that he has a way to calm himself and something else to focus on. Wolffe has been quite worried about him.”

“Yes, Ponds has been quite concerned about him too,” Windu sighed, shaking his head sadly. Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow as he looked in between Plo and Windu.

“This is too strange,” Obi-Wan chuckled as he bit into the cookie. “Seeing you talking about the clones, one that you’ve adopted,” Obi-Wan said nodding to Plo, “and I have no idea what your relationship with Ponds is; sometimes I see best friends, other times I think it’s more than that.”

Windu’s eyebrows climbed upwards at that as Yoda cackled.

“Not the only one to see that, you are,” Yoda cackled. Windu looked to Yoda, who smiled at him. “Ponds has been good for you, yes, more relaxed and open you are.”

“So you believe this change is a good one?” Plo asked curiously. 

Yoda sighed. “Meditated on this, I have, and though it may bring pain,” here he glanced at Obi-Wan, “it has brought happiness more.”

“Despite…despite my pain, I wouldn’t give up my time with Cody for anything,” Obi-Wan admitted. “I wouldn’t sacrifice lives for his, I know he’d hate me for it, but I would fight for him.”

Yoda nodded in understanding before looking at them all. 

“Made you more relaxed and open, Ponds has,” Yoda said once more, looking at Windu. “A good change this is.”

“I agree,” Windu murmured. “I feel more at peace now.”

“More love and adoration I sense in you,” Yoda continued, now looking to Plo. “Care for your new sons, you do, and return that love they do.”

“I wouldn’t give them up for anything,” Plo said quietly. “I would fight the Senate to keep them safe.”

“Looked after you, Cody has,” Yoda started, looking to Obi-Wan. “Healthier and happier you have been since you were a youngling.”

Obi-Wan smiled sadly as he picked up his tea cup. “Cody got so annoyed when I forgot to eat or I did something life-risking in his eyes. He just wanted me to be safe.”

“He’s a good man,” Windu said, looking to Obi-Wan with a smile. “I mean, he did keep you in line, made sure you ate and managed to get you to the medbay when you insisted you weren’t injured.”

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes good-naturedly at that. He frowned as his comm chimed and dug it out of his pocket, frown deepening when it didn’t come up with a known frequency.  
“Kenobi,” he answered.

“ _O-Obi-Wan_ ,” came the shaky reply in an all too familiar voice. Obi-Wan felt his heart skip a beat and he looked to the others in the room, who were all staring at the comm in shock.

“Cody,” Obi-Wan choked. “Cody, is that you?”

“ _Yes, Obi-Wan_ ,” Cody replied, voice thick with emotion. “ _It’s really me._ ”

“Are you okay? Are you safe?” Obi-Wan asked quickly, wanting to ask his beloved how he truly was and to let him know how relieved he was to hear his voice, but he didn’t know how safe Cody was. 

“ _I’m safe, Obi-Wan_ ,” Cody reassured him. “ _Tram is dead and…and I was rescued. He let me contact you so I can come home_.”

Obi-Wan bit back a broken sob at that. Cody wanted to come home. 

“Okay, Cody,” Obi-Wan said, trying to keep his voice calm but was unable to fully keep the waver from his voice. “What’s your location? I’ll come for you immediately.”

There was a pause and Obi-Wan heard someone speaking to Cody, though he couldn’t quite make out the words or any identifying feature to the being’s voice. Mace looked up from his comm, where he was ordering a ship to be made ready for departure from the hangar. 

“ _My…rescuer wants convey that only you can come for me, Obi-Wan, no other Jedi,_ ” sighed Cody’s voice suddenly. 

“Will he harm Obi-Wan?” Windu spoke up.

“ _No, he just doesn’t trust any Jedi besides Obi-Wan…and even that is pushing it,_ " Cody responded. There was a small, muffled snort from Cody’s end of the comm, which must have been said rescuer.

“I’ll be the only Jedi,” Obi-Wan reassured him, “but I will be bringing Ghost Company and Rex as well, you know they would kill me if I didn’t bring them with me.”

There was a familiar soft laugh which made Obi-Wan smile fondly, followed by soft, muffled conversation.

“ _My rescuer agrees to that_ ,” Cody said finally. 

“I don’t suppose you would let us know your rescuers identity?” Plo asked gently.

“ _No, not over comm_ ,” Cody responded after a few moments. “ _Obi-Wan will see when he arrives_.”

“And you trust him?” Windu asked.

“ _Yes, I do._ ”

“That’s good enough for me,” Obi-Wan said, who would have gone despite what anyone said. “What’s your location, Cody?”

“ _I’m on Tatooine_ ,” came the reply before he rattled off the exact location. Obi-Wan nodded, watching as Windu quickly typed it out.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can, Cody,” Obi-Wan promised. 

“ _I’ll see you soon,_ ” Cody responded, voice fond. “ _I-I’ve missed you_.”

Obi-Wan’s face softened at that quiet proclamation. “I’ve missed you too. I’m going to gather up your brothers and I’ll be on my way within the hour.”

They said their final goodbyes before disconnecting. Obi-Wan looked up at the trio in disbelief, seeing them smiling at him.

“Go get your men, Obi-Wan,” Windu told him. “I’ll make sure the ship and supplies are ready within the hour.”

Obi-Wan nodded, getting to his feet.

“Brave one, your partner is,” Yoda said, smiling. “Strong, he is.”

“He is,” Obi-Wan agreed. “Please excuse me, I’m going to go bring him home.”

“May the Force be with you,” Plo said fondly, though he was excited. He couldn’t wait to tell Wolffe.

Obi-Wan gave a quick, small bow before he hurried from the room, quickly sending out a message to Ghost Company to meet him at the Temple as he hurried through the hallways, heading to Rex’s apartment. He was glad that Anakin, Ahsoka and the 501st were on a mission as he knew Anakin would insist on coming, even if they were going to Tatooine, though Obi-Wan would have had to put his foot down, not wanting to risk Cody's safety by bringing Anakin, especially since Cody's rescuer didn't trust Jedi.

He pressed at the pad beside the door of Rex's apartment and it soon opened, a surprised Ponds standing there.

“General Kenobi,” Ponds said, surprised.

“Ponds,” Obi-Wan greeted, though somewhat hurriedly. “Is Rex here?”

“In here, Obi-Wan,” Rex’s voice called out. Ponds smiled as he stepped to the side to let Obi-Wan in. Obi-Wan quickly hurried inside, finding Rex in the kitchen. Rex smiled as he saw him and Obi-Wan couldn’t help the smile that pulled at his lips in return, especially as he saw Rex had flour across the bridge of his nose and across his right cheek. 

“What brings you here?” Rex asked.

“Rex, we know where Cody is.”

Silence fell in the room at Obi-Wan’s statement. Rex quickly put down the tray he was holding, staring at Obi-Wan with wide eyes.

“W-What?” Ponds stammered from behind Obi-Wan. 

“Cody just contacted me,” Obi-Wan explained, quickly but concisely. “Tram’s dead and he’s been rescued by person’s unknown at this moment – well, Cody knows who it is, he just couldn’t say,” Obi-Wan added hurriedly.

“He’s okay?” Rex croaked. “He’s safe?”

“Yes, Rex,” Obi-Wan reassured him. “He said he was safe and he sounded fine, not like he was under duress. I’m going to go get him and I thought you’d want to come along. Ghost Company are on their way to join us.”

Rex nodded, running a hand through his hair, shocked.

“Bring him home, Rex’ika,” Ponds said, smiling sadly. He wished he could go too, but he couldn’t risk leaving the Temple and with Ghost Company going as well, he didn’t want to overwhelm Cody.

“We will,” Rex said, trembling slightly.

“Come on, Rex,” Obi-Wan said. “Mace is getting the ship ready with supplies, though I’m not sure what, and we’ve got to meet Ghost Company.”

Rex nodded, quickly darting over to Ponds to hug him tightly. Ponds hugged him back just as tightly.

“I’ll see you both soon,” he murmured in Rex’s ear. Rex let go of Ponds, smiling at him shakily, before he quickly followed Obi-Wan from the apartment. Ponds leaned against the bench, heart racing.

Cody was coming home.

 

Obi-Wan and Rex quickly arrived at the hangar, finding Ghost Company hadn’t arrived yet. Windu was standing by a ship, talking to one of the workers there. He looked around as he sensed Obi-Wan’s approach. He nodded once more to the worker, who headed off, before meeting Obi-Wan and Rex.

“Obi-Wan, Rex,” he greeted, smiling at Rex, especially at the flour still dusting his face. 

“Mace,” Obi-Wan returned, looking at the ship. Windu glanced back at it as well.

“Big enough for you and your men,” he explained, “Plus with a decent hyperdrive so you should get to Tatooine relatively quickly.”

“And the supplies?”

“Mostly medical since we don’t know what sort of condition Cody is in,” Windu said carefully. “I’m hoping you won’t need them but it doesn’t hurt to be sure.”

Obi-Wan gave a small nod.

“There’s also some clothes and food as well,” Windu finished.

“Thank you, Mace,” Obi-Wan said thankfully. Windu just shook his head.

“It’s nothing, Obi-Wan, really,” he insisted. “We just want you to bring Cody home.”

“Ponds knows as well,” Rex spoke up quietly. “He was in my apartment when Obi-Wan came by.”

“I’ll go see him after you leave,” Windu replied. “Thank you, Rex…also, you have flour on your face, were you cooking?” 

Rex flushed and scrubbed at his face, wiping the flour off as he nodded. Windu just smiled.

“Yoda brought by some of your biscuits before, they are really good, Rex,” Windu praised, watching as Rex’s flush reached his ears.

“General!” Obi-Wan turned at the call, seeing Ghost Company, including Tup, walking towards them. 

Boil glanced up at the ship as they approached, frowning somewhat. “Is everything okay?”

“I received a comm from Cody,” Obi-Wan admitted, smiling at their gasps and grins. “He’s safe and we’re going to go get him.”

“He’s safe?” Helix repeated. Obi-Wan nodded.

“Cody said that Tram was dead and that he’d been rescued,” he explained. “I knew you would all be so annoyed if I went without you, and I know Cody is looking forward to seeing you, so shall we go?”

The group all nodded, chatting excitedly as they hurried into the ship. Rex slung his arm around Tup’s shoulders as they walked up the ramp into the ship. Obi-Wan turned to Windu, who smiled and nodded.

“May the Force be with you, Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan smiled and inclined his head before he headed into the ship, his heart pounding.

It was time to bring Cody home.


	9. Reunited

Obi-Wan stared out of the cockpit, watching as the stars flew past. Wooley looked back from where he was piloting, looking at Obi-Wan’s blank face, though he could see the nervousness in Obi-Wan’s grey eyes.

“Are you okay, Obi-Wan?” Wooley asked quietly. Obi-Wan blinked, looking back at Wooley and giving a small smile.

“Yes, Wooley, thank you,” he murmured. “I was just thinking about Cody.”

Wooley nodded, looking back out of the cockpit. “At our current speed, it’ll take close to a day to travel.”

Obi-Wan nodded, sighing. “I’m going to go check on the others, comm me if there are any issues, Wooley,” he murmured, touching Wooley’s shoulder briefly.

“Sure thing.”

Obi-Wan headed out into the rest of the ship, heading towards the lounge area. Boil, Waxer and Helix were checking out the supplies in the storage room and Crys had gone to join Wooley in the cockpit. Obi-Wan paused as he entered the lounge, seeing Rex murmuring softly to Tup, who was nodding along. 

Tup was the one to notice him first, looking up and smiling at him. Obi-Wan smiled back and walked in, sitting on the opposite side of Tup. 

“What are you talking about?” Obi-Wan asked with a small smile. Tup hesitated, looking to Rex.

“I-I was talking about Jek,” Tup mumbled. Obi-Wan immediately put his hand on Tup’s back comfortingly.

“Oh,” he murmured, wincing. “Sorry to interrupt.”

“No, no, it’s okay,” Tup insisted. “I mean, you were there with me throughout it.”

Rex winced at that, which Tup noticed and quickly snuggled in close to him. Rex wrapped his arm around Tup’s shoulder, pulling him close.

“Are you okay, Tup?”

“Yeah, I…I just miss him,” Tup admitted quietly. “I know it’s weird, but I really miss him.” 

“It’s not weird at all, Tup,” Obi-Wan reassured him. “He did care about you.”

Rex nodded in agreement. “Cody and I could see that after a while too,” Rex admitted. “The way he told you to come back safely or the food he brought for you to try, he cared for you.”

Tup nodded, sighing heavily as he sagged against Rex. Rex brought him close, tucking Tup’s head under his chin. 

“I don’t know what to do,” Tup muttered. Rex rubbed Tup’s back.

“You’ll figure it out, kid, you’re smart,” Rex murmured back. Obi-Wan nodded in agreement. 

“Just take your time and follow your heart,” Obi-Wan told him gently. Tup nodded, still keeping snuggled close to Rex, wrapping his arms around his _ori’vod_ and clinging tightly. Rex looked at Obi-Wan over Tup’s head and grinned. Obi-Wan smiled back. 

“Have you contacted Skywalker yet?” Rex asked, eyebrow raised. Obi-Wan shook his head.

“He’s in battle on the surface, so I don’t want to disturb him,” Obi-Wan said. “Though I’m not hearing anything to say the battle is going bad,” he added, seeing the worried look cross Rex’s face. “But I left a message for him when he gets back to the _Resolute_.”

Rex nodded, sighing and leaning his head back against the wall. “It feels odd not being with them,” Rex admitted with a heavy sigh. “I…I want to have their backs, I mean, I know Jesse is a great man and is a great Captain but…”

“But you wish you could be there,” Obi-Wan finished. “You’re used to looking after them on and off the battlefield.”

Rex nodded and Tup clutched Rex closer. Rex smiled at his _vod’ika_.

“I don’t know…” Rex swallowed harshly, clutching Tup tighter. “I don’t know what’s going to happen and it scares me, Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan nodded. “You will probably be off the battlefield for a while, Rex,” Obi-Wan admitted. 

“Yeah, I know,” sighed Rex. “I just don’t feel _useful_ anymore.”

“You’re still useful, Rex,” Tup said, looking up at him. “Even if you’re not fighting with us.”

“Thanks, _vod’ika_ , but I just don’t feel it.”

“We’ll find you something to do,” Obi-Wan promised. “Like Ponds is helping to plan different battles now since he’s Temple bound. We just don’t want to risk you with the GAR. We don’t want them to find an excuse to try and take you, that’s why we’re keeping you in the Temple.”

“I guess,” Rex murmured.

“And the younglings like having you around,” Tup piped up. Rex chuckled, scuffing up Tup’s hair.

“All right, all right,” he laughed softly. Tup smiled and nuzzled his face into Rex’s shoulder, sighing contently. Obi-Wan watched as Tup drifted off to sleep as Rex stroked his hair. Obi-Wan smiled fondly at them, looking at Rex.

“You’ve softened, in a good way of course,” he added hastily, “but you seem more content to just be with your brothers and hold them close.”

Rex smiled sadly as he stroked Tup’s hair. “I thought I was never going to see them again,” he admitted. “I-I didn’t know if we would be found or if we were, I was certain the GAR was going to take me and decommission me. I just realised how much I _missed_ them and I’ve come to appreciate them more.”

Obi-Wan nodded in understanding.

“Just seeing them, watching as Jesse and Kix lean against each other and seeing the loving look that Jesse gives Kix; watching Hardcase laugh and jostle with the others and watching Echo read his regs and recite them off the top of his head, or just watching Tup snuggle up to everyone, being his sweet self,” Rex listed with a fond smile. “I guess I just appreciate life more…since I’m not being abused anymore and I’m back home.”

“It suits you, you know,” Obi-Wan told him gently. “I do love watching you work in the kitchen, you seem at peace when you do that and it makes me realise how much we need to push the Senate to give you and your brothers rights. I want to see them relax and not be so battle-hardened, to find things they truly love doing with the people they love.”

Rex nodded. “I want to see that. I really want to see that.” 

“Well, with the Chancellor’s powers being questioned, it may be easier to do so,” Obi-Wan mused. “I know Mace plans to speak to the Senate about the rules they’ve enforced on the Jedi.”

“Please tell me that’s going to be a recorded session,” Rex said with a grin. “I want to see the Chancellor’s face as Windu refuses to take his _osik_ and tells him where to shove it.”

“Even if it meant stripping the Jedi of their General titles?”

Rex snorted. “The public would rebel if they learnt of that, so would the _vode_ of course, but the public have more power compared to us.”

Obi-Wan smirked suddenly. “Well, worst comes to worst, we hide all of the clones in the Temple.”

“You have the room for that?”

“Rex, the Temple was built to hold tens of thousands of Jedi,” Obi-Wan explained. “There are only ten thousand of us left, and a good portion of that number are younglings, Initiates and Padawans.”

Rex stared at him in surprise as Obi-Wan smiled sadly.

“Our numbers have depleted over the years, we need to change that,” he murmured. “We need to change so many things.”

“Hey, what are you guys talking about?”

Obi-Wan looked up and smiled as Waxer, Boil and Helix all walked in, settling down around them.

“Aw, sweet _vod’ika_ ,” Waxer cooed as he saw Tup asleep, tucked up against Rex. Rex raised his eyebrow at that.

“My _vod’ika_ ,” he claimed, though the slight upturn at the edges of his lips showed he was just playing. “You’ve got Boil.”

“Trade you?” Waxer retorted, making Rex laugh. “You get Boil and I get Tup.”

“No deal,” Rex answered, shaking his head with a smile. “I’m not giving up my _vod’ika_.”

“I just feel the love,” Boil said, looking between the two. “I see how it is, no one wants me.”

“Come here, Grumpy,” Obi-Wan chuckled. “I wouldn’t trade you.”

Boil scooted over so he was sitting next to Obi-Wan’s leg, poking his tongue out at Waxer and making Obi-Wan laugh.

“See, at least _someone_ loves me,” Boil said, exaggerated. 

Obi-Wan laughed as he watched Boil tackle Waxer because of a jibe Waxer made, both of them wrestling each other, which Helix and Rex cheered on – Tup joining them as the racket woke him up. He smiled as he watched them, feeling that they were more relaxed and excited now that they knew Cody was safe.

He couldn’t wait to see Cody.

 

Cody smiled at Jango as he ended the call. Jango couldn’t help but chuckle at the excitement in Cody’s amber eyes.

“Come on, _ad’ika_ , let’s make you some lunch,” Jango just chuckled. “They’re going to be a while yet.”

Cody nodded and followed Jango to the kitchen, sitting down as Jango gave him a pointed look. Cody smiled to himself as Jango busied himself preparing their lunch.

He couldn’t believe it. He just couldn’t believe that this was real and that this was happening.

After seven months he was going _home_. 

After seven months he was going to hold Obi again. 

He looked up as Jango sat across from him, sliding his plate over. Cody took it with a thankful nod. 

“So Kenobi looks out for you?” Jango questioned a few moments later. Cody nodded.

“He was the one who saved me from the abusive Admiral,” Cody said, “and saved my life by over-exerting himself with the Force. He respects my opinions and encourages me to speak up. I wouldn’t be the man I was today if he hadn’t pushed and encouraged me, not after that Admiral broke me.”

Jango nodded thoughtfully. 

“As much as I hate Jedi,” Jango said, “He did seem like a good one, though a little prim and proper.”

Cody snorted at that. “If you knew my Jedi, you’d know he wasn’t as prim and proper as he appears. He can drink us under the table.”

“He goes out drinking with you?” Jango asked in surprise.

“He does occasionally come to 79’s with us,” Cody admitted, “but it’s usually after a hard battle, he’ll join us for a drink and some stories. You’d think he would only drink the best wine or scotch, but he throws back the ship’s moonshine with no issue at all.”

“He’s surprising,” Jango murmured as he took a drink. “I knew he suspected me for being the bounty hunter hired to kill Amidala, but then he became certain of it. I thought he didn’t see my armour before I asked Boba to close the door to hide it.”

Cody tilted his head curiously. “Did you ask in Basic or Mando’a?”

“Mando’a,” Jango replied, giving Cody a look as Cody chuckled.

“Yeah, he knew what you said,” Cody told him. “He speaks Mando’a fluently.”

Jango just stared at him in shock and Cody smiled.

“He spent a year on Mandalore protecting Duchess Satine when he was a teenager, he learnt it then,” Cody explained. “It was good coming onto a ship where even the Jedi General was happy to use Mando’a terms or even tell us a few that we didn’t know, especially since on my last ship we were punished for speaking it.” 

Jango growled under his breath at that, angered that they were punished for being themselves, for having their own culture. 

“He’s been the one who has pushed the hardest for us to get rights,” Cody continued, finishing his lunch. “He pushed hard to get me to Marshal Commander, though I threatened to space his tea if he kept trying to get me promoted after that. He also witnessed Jesse’s and Kix’s marriage vows, even though we can’t legally get married.”

Jango just stared in disbelief. He never thought about them falling in love with each other, though he could see how it could happen. Jango was irritated by the fact that they couldn’t be together legally because of the Republic Senate and their ridiculous rules. He knew he should have realised that the boys would have no rights, but at the start he hadn’t cared, not until he had gotten to know them, and he had hoped that the Republic would treat them right once they had found them – though he knew in his heart that would never be the case. 

“Are there a lot of you that are couples?” Jango asked instead.

“There are a few in every battalion,” Cody said. “Kix and Jesse have been together since they were cadets, Wolffe and Echo are fairly new in their relationship and I’m hoping Rex would have finally admitted his feelings to Fives and that they’re together now.”

Jango nodded. “So Wolffe has someone?” he asked, smiling fondly. He did remember the cadet prone to biting. 

“Yes, he’s with Echo, one of Rex’s ARC troopers,” Cody explained with a smile. “They’re both quite different from one another with Echo being brainy and knowing the reg manuals inside and out – though he doesn’t always follow the rules – while Wolffe is, well, _Wolffe_.”

“And Rex has Fives, is it?”

“Fives is his other ARC trooper. Rex and I found them both on the Rishi Moon station after droids had attacked it. They were the only two of their squad to survive that invasion,” Cody murmured. 

“What about Bly and Ponds?” Jango asked, eager to know of the group he came to adore so much.

Cody chuckled at that. “Ponds, I have no idea about,” he admitted with a snort. “It’s a little complicated with him.”

Such as they could never tell if Ponds actually loved Mace or was just really close with and wasn’t interested in relationships.

“Bly on the other hand cares deeply for his General,” Cody said carefully, looking at Jango to catch his reaction. He wanted to see how Jango reacted to the fact that a clone and a Jedi were close, closer than they should be, to see if there was a chance he could tell Jango about him and Obi-Wan without him trying to permanently ground Cody to keep him away from Obi-Wan.

Jango just blinked.

“Bly and his Jedi?” he asked again slowly. 

Cody nodded. “Aayla Secura,” he murmured quietly. “She cares for him as deeply as he cares for her.”

Jango frowned deeply at that and Cody felt his stomach twist slightly. Jango remained quiet on that front, instead looking back at him.

“What about you, Kote?” he asked finally, carefully. “Before you were taken, did you have someone? One of the other clones?”

Cody gave a wry smile. “No, I don’t have a brother waiting for me.”

Jango sighed, leaning back in his chair. He frowned as he focused on Cody’s hands, noticing the shaking. 

He would have to tell Kenobi about the after-effects of the withdrawal, make sure Kenobi got Cody a proper check up with equipment that Jango did not have access to on Tatooine. He just hoped that the spice hadn’t left any permanent damage on Cody. 

Jango chuckled softly as he noticed Cody’s eyes drifting shut. He stood up and gently tugged on Cody’s arm.

“Come on, _ad’ika_ , up you get,” he murmured before leading a grumbling Cody to a nearby couch. “Get some rest before they come.”

Cody lay down, turning on his side, as Jango pulled a thin, rather worn, blanket over him.

“Hey, _Buir_?” Cody asked, somewhat shyly. Jango felt the warmth in his stomach as Cody called him ‘Father’ once again.

“Yes, _ad’ika_?”

“Can you stay with me?”

Jango smiled as he sat on the edge of the couch, running his hand through Cody’s hair.

“Sure thing, kiddo,” Jango murmured. Cody smiled tiredly at him, allowing his eyes to slip close.

He hated sleeping alone now, being tormented by his nightmares. 

Cody sighed, relaxing as he felt Jango stroke his hair, humming softly, and wondered if this is what Boba got to grow up with, to have a loving Father sit beside him while he had trouble sleeping and comfort him?

Cody pushed that thought aside as he started to drift off.

Obi-Wan would be here soon.

 

Bly smiled tiredly at Aayla as she squeezed his hand before she headed off to report to the Council. Bly sighed as he headed off into the Temple, looking for his brothers. They were the ones to find him though.

“Bly,” Ponds greeted as he pulled him in for a tight hug. Bly rested his head against Ponds’s shoulder, hugging him back tightly. Wolffe put his hand on Bly’s shoulder and squeezed tightly. 

“Are you okay?” Ponds murmured. “We heard about the battle.”

Bly gave a small shrug. “It’s war, I guess,” he muttered, “but it never makes things easier.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Wolffe sighed.

“Now, where’s Rex?” Bly asked. “I need to squeeze the _vod’ika_.”

Ponds and Wolffe exchanged small grins before Ponds turned to a confused Bly. 

“He’s not here.”

“What?” Bly asked, now very confused. “I was told he was! They wouldn't deploy him with the 501st so soon, would they?!”

“He’s gone with Obi-Wan,” Wolffe added. “To save Cody.”

Bly’s eyes widened almost comically and his mouth opened.

“WHAT?!”

“Obi-Wan got a comm from Cody, saying he was safe and to come and get him,” Ponds explained. “So Obi-Wan took Rex and Ghost Company and went to go get him.”

Wolffe checked him comm-pad. “Actually, they should almost be at Tatooine now,” he added. 

“Cody…Cody is safe?” Bly choked, staring at the both of them. Ponds nodded, giving a small smile.

“Yeah, both of our baby brothers are safe now, Bly,” he murmured, watching as Bly covered his face, giving a rough sob. Ponds pulled him in close again. 

“Our baby brothers will be home soon,” Wolffe said. “We’re going to have them back.”

Ponds nodded. “Come on, Bly, let’s go have a drink to celebrate, yeah? Mace gave me a good bottle of scotch as a gift for my apartment.”

“Your apartment?” Bly chuckled shakily. Ponds shrugged as he shifted so he had one arm across Bly’s shoulders as he walked him down the hallways.

“Well, I’m not going to leave the Temple any time soon by the looks of it, thanks to the Chancellor’s threats,” Ponds said, almost bitterly. “So the Jedi gave me my own apartment. Mace said it’s mine and I can decorate it however I want.” 

“Rex has his own apartment too,” Wolffe added as he walked on Bly’s opposite side. “Fives stays with him when the 501st is on Coruscant, but it’s become Rex’s space. You should see all of the baking stuff in the kitchen.”

“Baking?”

“Oh yeah, Rex has gotten into baking and cooking,” Wolffe continued, answering Bly’s confused question. “It helps him relax and he’s really, really good at it.”

“It’s amazing,” Ponds agreed. “He makes the best sweets ever. I actually might have some cookies left over from his last batch, before he went with Obi-Wan.” 

Bly blinked before chuckling. “Well, that’s something,” he murmured, before looking at Wolffe.

“The 501st have been deployed, haven’t they?” he asked. Wolffe sighed, giving a nod.

“Yeah, the 501st were needed, so Rex is without Fives for now and my Pup is out there as well,” Wolffe answered. 

“I still can’t believe you’re with Echo,” Bly chuckled. “How long has it been now?”

“About five months,” Wolffe smiled softly. “It’s been good.”

“They’re actually really cute together,” Ponds teased as they came upon his apartment, getting smiles from the passing Jedi. “So adorable and sappy.”

Wolffe rolled his eyes. “Zip it,” he growled, shoving Ponds onto the couch as they entered his apartment. Ponds gave a ‘whoa’ as he fell onto the couch, pulling Bly with him. Ponds detangled himself from Bly and headed towards a cabinet, pulling out the scotch and some nice crystal glasses that Mace had gotten him. 

“I can’t believe Cody and Rex will both be home,” Bly said longingly as he took the glass from Ponds. “I’ve missed our baby brothers.”

“Well, soon they’ll be home,” Ponds said as he sat down, “and we’ll never let them out of our sights again.”

“To our baby brothers,” Wolffe offered, holding up his glass. 

“Our baby brothers,” Ponds and Bly echoed as they knocked their glasses together.

 

Cody straightened up, hearing the sounds of ships engines nearby. Jango sighed as he watched Cody leap to his feet and almost run to the door. Jango followed him, seeing a ship landing nearby. 

Cody stepped outside, heart racing, as he watched the ramp lower on the ship. He saw his Obi-Wan walk down it and pause at the bottom, looking around until his grey eyes met Cody’s amber.

Cody couldn’t hold back anymore. He had gone seven months without touching his Jedi, his _cyare_ , and the last time he had seen him hadn’t ended well. He just wanted to touch him and confirm that this was actually happening.

“Obi!” Cody cried out before he darted across the sand, practically throwing himself into Obi-Wan’s arms. Obi-Wan held him tightly, pressing kisses to his cheeks.

“Cody,” Obi-Wan sobbed. “My love, my love!” 

Cody clung onto Obi-Wan tightly, nuzzling his face into Obi-Wan’s copper hair and breathing in the familiar green-tea scent that made his chest ache.

“I missed you,” Cody sobbed into his shoulder. “I missed you so much!”

“I missed you too, my _cyar’ika_ ,” Obi-Wan whispered, “and I’m never letting you go again, I promise.” 

Cody didn’t want to let go of Obi-Wan, never wanting to let go of him again. 

It was the first time he had felt truly safe since this had all began. 

“Jango Fett,” Obi-Wan said suddenly and Cody winced, forgetting that Jango had seen this. Hesitantly, he let go of Obi-Wan and turned around, seeing Jango standing a few feet away, eyebrows raised and arms folded across chest. 

Jango had to admit, seeing Cody throw himself at Kenobi and seeing Kenobi kissing Cody’s cheeks and hanging on to Cody as though he would disappear if he let go, it wasn’t something he had expected. 

Then Obi-Wan had spotted him and Cody had stiffened, letting go of Obi-Wan to look at Jango, unsure.

Jango sighed, running his hand through his hair.

“A word, Kenobi, while Kote greets his brothers,” Jango said instead. Obi-Wan frowned at that, looking to Cody, who looked away towards the ramp instead.

“Rex!” Cody whispered before he hurried forward, pulling Rex into his arms and hugging his sobbing brother tightly. 

Obi-Wan walked over to Jango’s side, watching as Cody and Rex clung onto each other tightly as Ghost Company all reached out, hands gently touching Cody’s shoulders and back, reassuring themselves that he was really there and safe. 

“He didn’t tell me you two were in a relationship,” Jango said gruffly, pulling Obi-Wan’s attention back to the older Fett. 

“Would you have let him contact me if you knew?” Obi-Wan questioned. Jango threw him a look and Obi-Wan smiled softly.

“Probably not,” Jango admitted.

“I truly do love him, Jango, whether or not you believe it,” Obi-Wan murmured. “I plan to leave the Jedi for him.”

Jango just grunted before sighing. He turned his gaze to Obi-Wan, meeting the grey gaze evenly. 

“Tup!” Cody’s surprised voice carried to them suddenly. Jango looked around, seeing him hug a younger clone tightly before pulling back. “The 212th gold suits you!”

“Excuse you, he looks better in 501st blue,” Rex retorted, though he was grinning.

“Tup,” Jango murmured. “He’s the one they had the bounty hunter target, wasn’t he?”

Obi-Wan looked at him in surprise before giving a small nod. “He was, yes.”

“You let the bounty hunter get close?” 

“That is something we truly didn’t know or sense,” Obi-Wan murmured. “I didn’t meet Jek until Boba brought Ponds the message and we arrested Jek.”

“So he’s in prison?”

“No,” Obi-Wan sighed. “There wasn’t enough to hold him on and the GAR wouldn’t do anything about it, other than punish Tup, which we couldn’t allow.”

Jango frowned at that, but looking at Obi-Wan and seeing the way his grey eyes softened as he looked upon the troopers, he didn’t blame him.

“Besides, Jek did help us out in the end,” Obi-Wan continued, looking back to Jango. “It seems Tup actually managed to steal his heart as well.”

Jango looked back to Obi-Wan. “You care for them,” he stated.

“I do,” Obi-Wan nodded. “I will fight to the death to keep them safe from droids and politicians alike.”

“You’ll keep Rex and Kote safe from the GAR then?” Jango pushed.

“Of course,” Obi-Wan agreed. “Rex and Cody will be Temple bound while they recover and see a Mind Healer, the GAR cannot touch them while they are under the protection of the Temple.” 

Jango nodded, satisfied for now.

“Why do you call him Kote?” Obi-Wan asked suddenly.

“That’s his name,” Jango told him, eyebrow raised. “That’s what I named him when he was a cadet. You didn’t know that?”

Obi-Wan shook his head, looking to Cody sadly. “No,” he murmured. “He was Cody when I first met him.”

“If I hear that anything goes wrong, if I hear even a whisper that Kote or Rex are in danger, I will come for them,” Jango warned, turning to face Obi-Wan. “I will take all of the brothers they want as well.”

Obi-Wan met his gaze evenly. “If I believe Cody and Rex are in danger, I will contact you.”

Jango blinked in surprise and Obi-Wan gave a wry smile.

“I want them safe, Jango, and I will go to any lengths to see that they are.” 

Jango gave a small nod, before frowning as he looked at Cody, seeing him sway slightly. 

"Kenobi, when you get back to Coruscant, take Kote to see your healers," he said, looking to Obi-Wan, seeing him frown. "When I found Kote he had been drugged repeatedly with spice for two weeks and he went through a tough withdrawal. I am worried about the after-effects the drug has left on him, but I can't see if it's done any damage with the equipment on Tatooine."

"What after-effects has he suffered so far?" Obi-Wan asked quietly, concerned.

"Shakes, trembling hands, the occasional dizzy spell and bout of weakness," Jango listed. 

"I'm taking him to the Healers the moment we're back anyway," Obi-Wan murmured. "I'll get them to do a full check and scan after they take bloods and scan for diseases and injuries."

Jango nodded and walked down to speak to Cody and the others, Obi-Wan following closely. Cody gave Jango an exasperated look before looking to Obi-Wan.

“Please tell me he didn’t threaten you,” Cody begged. Obi-Wan chuckled as he took Cody’s hand, bringing it up to his lips to place a kiss upon it.

“My love, I can handle a shovel talk,” Obi-Wan teased. 

“Rex,” Jango greeted, smiling at him. Rex nodded.

“Jango,” he greeted in return. “Thank you for saving my _ori’vod_.”

“I wasn’t going to leave him there, Rex,” Jango said, shaking his head. “I did try to find both of you once I saw the report on the GAR network, but I didn’t have the right contacts.”

“You had access to the GAR network?” Obi-Wan asked, eyebrows raised.

“Until I was locked out two months ago. It was mostly to make sure I wasn’t anywhere near where you were,” Jango retorted, “but I also liked to keep an eye on my boys.”

Obi-Wan hummed thoughtfully but kept silent. 

Jango looked around, noticing the wide-eyed looks from the other troopers. 

“These are your men, right, Kote?” Jango asked.

“Yes,” Cody answered. “This is Waxer, Boil, Helix, Wooley, Crys and Tup, who is in Ghost Company for some reason.” 

Jango nodded as he examined them. “Good,” he murmured. “They look like fine men, Kote, and you deserve fine men to serve by your side.” 

His gaze landed on Tup, who was partially hidden behind Rex and was staring at him with large honey eyes. Jango smiled at the top-knot on top of the trooper’s head. 

He had to admit, Tup was actually rather adorable. Jango had become quite clucky and paternal once he had gotten Boba. The True Mandalorians had always put family first. Family was the most important thing and Jango definitely agreed with that. He remembered how Jaster had looked after him, taking care of him yet training him to be strong. Jango had always wanted to be a Father, to have children to love and spoil; he could have easily stolen Tup to protect him and raised him as another one of his sons. Jango bit back a smile at that thought. 

If he had done that, he would have close to twenty sons now.

“And you must be Tup,” he said finally, getting a nervous nod from Tup.

“Y-Yes, sir.”

“I’ve heard good things about you, Tup,” Jango continued. “It’s always good to have a large, caring heart – not many people do these days.”

“T-Thank you, sir,” Tup stammered. 

“I’m also a bit jealous of your hair,” Jango laughed, seeing how nervous Tup was and hoping to calm him a bit. “My hair could never grow out like that, it’s far too curly.”

Tup smiled at that. “You and Cody have the same hair.”

Jango looked to Cody, smiling. “That we do.” 

“We should go,” Obi-Wan spoke up softly. “We need to get you back to the Temple before the Chancellor finds out, and I know Ponds and Wolffe are antsy to see you again, Cody.” 

Cody nodded before looking at Jango. “C-Can I comm you?” 

“Of course, Kote, for anything,” Jango promised before raising an eyebrow as Obi-Wan handed over a spare comm he had had in his robe pockets.

“Have this one,” Obi-Wan told him. “It’s secure and encrypted…and I may have also written down an access code to get into the GAR network.”

Jango took it, looking at Obi-Wan in surprise.

“You’d let me into the GAR network?” he asked in disbelief.

“You want to keep an eye and ear out for your boys, correct?” Obi-Wan asked him. “Then yes, I will happily give that to you – and also to help make sure the GAR doesn’t get a hold of you. I don’t trust the Senate or Chancellor currently, especially since he wanted to arrest Boba so badly.”

Jango’s head whipped up at that. “What?!” 

“Boba delivered a message to Ponds and Ponds let Boba go, not that he’d ever arrest Boba even if Boba did shoot him. The Chancellor demanded to know why Ponds didn’t arrest him and Mace covered for him, saying Ponds didn’t believe arresting a fledging bounty hunter was more important than delivering this message,” Obi-Wan explained. 

Jango frowned at the comm. “Windu was happy to let Boba go, despite Boba having tried to kill him?”

“He understood it was a misguided attempt in revenge,” Obi-Wan said softly, squeezing Cody’s hand. “Though you really do need to find Boba, Jango, he does need you.”

Jango gave a jerky nod, not saying anything to that. 

“Wooley, if you could prepare the ship, please?” Obi-Wan spoke softly, turning to the other clones.

“Of course, sir,” Wooley nodded, hurrying on board. 

Cody let go of Obi-Wan’s hand briefly and stepped up to Jango, who looked up at him. Cody cautiously hugged him and Jango wrapped his arms around him, holding him close. 

“Thank you,” Cody whispered. “For everything.”

“Any time, _ad’ika_ ,” Jango murmured. “Remember, if you need to get out, I will come to steal you, Rex and all of your brothers away.”

Cody laughed as he let go, taking Obi-Wan’s hand once again. “I know, _Buir_ , thank you.” 

“Come, Cody, it’s time to go home,” Obi-Wan whispered. Cody nodded and followed Obi-Wan, Rex and the rest of Ghost Company up the ramp. 

The ramp closed and the ship took off. 

 

Jango sighed as he watched it go. He would look out for them, make sure the GAR or the Senate didn't try to hurt them or recondition or decommission them (which Jango had strongly disagreed with). He frowned as a sudden thought came to him.

Kenobi had said that that bounty hunter had ended up falling in love with Tup. Perhaps it would be useful to get more help, especially one who wasn't one who would be killed on sight, who could keep an eye on them from Coruscant and swoop in if needed.

Jango hummed thoughtfully as he headed into his hut. He'd have to do some research on this Jek.

 

Obi-Wan turned to Cody as his brothers all moved off to give them some privacy. Obi-Wan gently reached up, cupping Cody’s cheek in his hand and stroking his cheek, tears filling his grey eyes.

“Oh, my love,” Obi-Wan whispered, his voice breaking. “You’re here and you’re home.”

Cody moved forward, wrapping his arms around Obi-Wan and resting his forehead against Obi-Wan’s. Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around Cody, holding him close.

“I want you to tell me if anything I do makes you feel uncomfortable,” Obi-Wan murmured to him, “but I will _always_ be here for you, no matter what.”

“Kiss me,” Cody whispered, pleading. “I need you to kiss me.” 

Obi-Wan obliged to that, pressing his lips to Cody’s. Cody melted into his kiss, feeling safe, secure and loved.

He was _home_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day!
> 
> A CodyWan reunion! :D


	10. Brothers Reunited

Obi-Wan led Cody to his quarters, hand held in his own. Cody followed, pulling his Jedi into his arms as soon as they entered Obi-Wan’s quarters. Obi-Wan chuckled softly, wrapping his arms around Cody’s waist and holding him close. He could feel Cody trembling in his arms and he gently shushed him, leaning up slightly to kiss Cody’s forehead and cheeks gently. 

“Come sit down, my love,” Obi-Wan murmured as he led Cody to the bunk, sitting him down on the edge. Cody smiled at him sadly as he rubbed his bare wrists. Jango had taken off the bands and the collar and, though Cody was relieved to finally have them off, it felt odd to have his wrists, ankles and neck bare once more. 

“Are you okay, my love?” Obi-Wan asked gently. Cody gave a nod, taking in a deep, shaky breath. Tears started trickling from Cody’s eyes as he stared at Obi-Wan, meeting his eyes. 

He was safe. He was home.

“Shh, Cody, it’s okay,” Obi-Wan murmured, reaching up to brush Cody’s tears away. “You’re safe now, _cyar’ika_. You’re safe.”

“I know,” Cody said, giving a shaky smile. “I just…I can’t believe it.”

“I know,” Obi-Wan echoed, thumbing away the fresh tears. There was a knock on the door and Obi-Wan sighed softly before he headed over to it.

“Helix,” Obi-Wan greeted as Cody wiped away the rest of his tears. 

“Sorry to interrupt, General, but I wanted to check over Cody and make sure he’s okay,” Helix said. Obi-Wan looked over his shoulder at Cody, who gave a small nod. Obi-Wan nodded and stepped back, allowing Helix into the room. Helix smiled as he walked over to Cody’s side. 

“Hey, Cody,” Helix greeted, reaching out to grasp Cody’s hand. Cody squeezed Helix’s hand in return. 

“Hey, Helix,” Cody murmured. Helix smiled at him.

“I’m just going to give you a quick scan, okay?” Helix said softly. “I just want to make sure there’s no pressing injuries that’ll cause an issue before we get to Coruscant.”

Cody nodded. “Sure, go for it.” 

Helix pulled out the med-scanner, scanning over Cody, eyes fixed to the screen and looking for anything out of the ordinary. Helix gave a content nod as he tucked the scanner away.

“Nothing pressing,” Helix told him with a smile. “The Healers will do a more thorough check-up since I don’t have a medbay on this ship.”

“Thank you, Helix,” Cody smiled at him. Helix shifted so he could press his forehead against Cody’s. 

“I’m so glad you’re back, Cody,” Helix whispered. “We’ve missed you.”

Cody shifted his hand so it was across the back of Helix’s neck as he pressed his forehead more steadily against Helix’s.

“I’ve missed you too.”

Helix smiled once more. “You’ll be okay now, Cody, you’re home and we’ll all be here for you.”

Cody nodded once more and Helix stepped back, glancing at Obi-Wan, who smiled at him.

“Don’t hog him all to yourself,” Helix told Obi-Wan with a grin. “The others want to see him too.”

Obi-Wan chuckled, “I won’t hold him too much longer. I just want to speak to him some more.”

Helix nodded, smiling once more at Cody, before he headed off to reassure the others Cody was okay. Obi-Wan shifted so he was kneeling down in front of Cody, taking his hands in his own. 

“When we get back to Coruscant, we’re landing directly in the Temple hangar,” Obi-Wan explained gently. “The GAR and the Senate won’t be able to touch you as long as you’re in the Temple.”

“A-And the Council?”

“This was Kit’s plan,” Obi-Wan said with a smile. “They’re concerned for your safety too. Rex and Ponds are already under the Temple’s protection, though I couldn’t keep Rex away from coming to get you.”

“Is Ponds okay?” Cody asked worriedly. Obi-Wan nodded and squeezed Cody’s hand.

“He stood up to the Chancellor,” Obi-Wan explained, “and the Chancellor threatened to have him reconditioned, which Mace would never allow, so Mace put Ponds under the Temple’s protection. He’s been keeping himself busy as well.”

Cody blinked, horrified, but Obi-Wan just smiled reassuringly at him.

“Now, when we get to the Temple, once the Healers have checked you over, we’ll get you a room,” Obi-Wan said. “You can stay with Rex in his apartment, or you can get your own apartment or…” here, Obi-Wan paused, hesitating. “You can stay with me, if you’re comfortable with that that is.”

“B-But won’t the Council be suspicious if I stay with you?” Cody asked softly. Confusion crossed Obi-Wan’s grey eyes before he smiled, squeezing Cody’s hand.

“Cody, the Council knows about us,” Obi-Wan revealed. “When you were first taken, we found out that the bounty hunter that took you was killed and their station destroyed, the Council believed you to be dead as well.”

Cody was just staring at him wide-eyed.

“Then I heard you crying for me to help you,” Obi-Wan said, voice breaking. Cody reached out to run a hand through Obi-Wan’s soft hair. Obi-Wan smiled, tilting his head slightly to press a kiss to Cody’s palm. 

“I let the Council hear that cry and then I told them that I was in relationship with you, that we shared a soul-bond, and that I loved you and had planned to leave the Jedi to be with you.” 

“They know?” Cody whispered. Obi-Wan shifted to sit on the bed beside Cody.

“Yes, my love, they know,” Obi-Wan confirmed. “Once I admitted my attachment, others stepped up as well, and, well, now they’re considering the attachment rule.”

“So…so I can stay with you?” Cody asked, amber eyes hopeful. “I don’t need to pretend?”

“No, my love,” Obi-Wan smiled, gently cupping Cody’s cheek in hand. “We don’t need to pretend anymore.” 

Cody smiled, leaning forward to kiss Obi-Wan softly. 

“So you’ll stay with me?” Obi-Wan whispered as they broke apart.

“Please,” Cody said softly. “T-Though is Rex nearby?”

“He is,” Obi-Wan reassured him, “and Fives stays with him when he’s not deployed.”

Cody nodded, leaning against Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan wrapped his arm around him and pressed a kiss to Cody’s temple. 

“Cody?”

“Mmm?”

“Jango told me about your true name,” Obi-Wan said cautiously. “Why…why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because that’s not who I am anymore,” Cody said softly, looking at his lap. “I haven’t been Kote since I was assigned to Admiral Lyall.” 

“What happened, my love?”

“He refused to call me by that name,” Cody said quietly. “A-And I let him beat me. I didn’t feel like I _deserved_ to be Kote anymore. Jango named me that because he thought I would be _great_ , but I let myself get beaten down and broken and I didn’t deserve that name anymore. So I became Cody, which Lyall did occasionally call me if he was feeling generous. It wasn’t a name of that primitive language as he called it,” Cody said bitterly. 

“Cody…” Obi-Wan whispered. Cody looked at him and smiled sadly.

“Kote was long gone before you even came along, Obi,” Cody said softly. “And I don’t know if I’ll ever be called that again, so please, don’t worry about that. Jango just calls me that because, well…that’s him.”

Obi-Wan sighed, moving to rest his forehead against Cody’s and taking his hands in his own.

“If the day comes that you want to be Kote again, just let me know,” Obi-Wan murmured. “I’ll still be here.”

“Thank you,” Cody said, relieved that Obi-Wan wasn’t going to push him to take his old name, understanding that times change. 

“Now, I’m going to contact the Council and prepare them for our arrival and then I need to contact Anakin,” Obi-Wan said.

“I’m surprised he didn’t try and force his way onto the ship to come,” Cody chuckled, knowing that Skywalker always followed Kenobi.

“He, Ahsoka and the 501st were deployed a few days ago,” Obi-Wan explained with a wry grin, “or yes, I would have struggled to keep him off the ship.”

Cody chuckled at that.

“Now, go see your brothers,” Obi-Wan smiled, pressing another quick kiss to Cody’s cheek. “They’ve been so worried about you.”

Cody nodded, breathing in deeply before squeezing Obi-Wan’s hands.

“I’ll be out soon, I promise,” Obi-Wan reassured him. Cody nodded.

“I-I know,” Cody murmured. Obi-Wan smiled as he stood up, gently pulling Cody up. Cody wrapped his arms around Obi-Wan, breathing in his scent and reassuring himself that Obi-Wan was still there. 

“Go on, my love,” Obi-Wan told him gently. Cody nodded, taking in a deep, reassuring breath, before kissing Obi-Wan’s forehead, nuzzling into his hair. Cody reluctantly let him go, smiling once more at Obi-Wan, before he left the room, going to go find Rex and the others. 

 

He came upon the lounge, seeing the others already there, minus Wooley and Crys. 

“Cody,” Rex said, spotting him first. Cody smiled at him and walked in, sitting beside Rex and pressing against his side. Rex sighed, relaxing as Cody pressed against him, reassured by his body warmth. 

“Are you okay?” Rex murmured in his ear. Cody turned to him and smiled weakly.

“I am now, Rex’ika.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there,” Rex whispered as the others talked amongst themselves for now, knowing Rex and Cody needed a moment.

Cody shook his head. “It wasn’t your fault, Rex,” Cody murmured, shifting so he could run a hand through Rex’s hair. “Tris had you…and Tram got me. I was so worried about you though. I didn’t know if you had been saved or if Tris had managed to take you away.”

“At least they’re dead now,” Rex shuddered. “Tram is dead, right?”

“Yeah, Jango shot him,” Cody said before frowning. “I heard the shot and heard Tram collapse, I think.”

“You think?”

“I was drugged to the eyeballs,” Cody said, smiling weakly. “But I trust Jango, he wouldn’t have let Tram leave alive.”

“I don’t doubt that,” Rex chuckled darkly. 

“What about Tris? Did they arrest him?”

“No,” Rex said, shaking his head. “He was going to kill me, but I got to him first and stabbed him in the chest.”

Cody smiled, nuzzling against Rex’s hair reassuringly. Rex sighed, leaning against Cody and wrapping one arm around him. 

“Did you tell Fives?” Cody whispered in his ear before pulling back, smiling as he saw the flush on Rex’s cheeks. Rex gave a small nod.

“And?”

“He told me first actually,” Rex mumbled, embarrassed, before giving a bitter smile. “Last thing Tris saw was Fives kissing me and telling me that he loved me.”

Cody took his hand and squeezed it before looking back out at his men and brothers. His amber eyes landed on Tup, who Waxer was cuddling tightly.

“How did Waxer end up adopting you, Tup?” Cody chuckled. Tup blushed slightly and Waxer just hugged him tighter, grinning up at Cody as he squeezed the young trooper. 

“I temporarily transferred into the 212th,” Tup explained as Waxer snuggled with him. “After…after the truth about Jek came about, a lot of brothers in the 501st didn’t trust me and I needed to get away.”

Cody winced at that. 

“It’s only temporary and…and I think I’m ready to go back to Torrent Company again soon,” Tup said.

“Aww noooo, _vod’ika_ ,” Waxer whined as he squeezed Tup. “Who will give me cuddles?”

“Not me,” Boil snorted. Waxer pouted at him before looking at Tup and smiling.

“We’ll miss you, kid, but we’re happy for you,” Waxer said sincerely. “You’ve put up with my crazy leadership, so you’ll be fine.”

Tup smiled, leaning back against Waxer at that. 

“Yes, how are you two finding being Commanders?” Cody asked, trying to ignore the small ping of hurt in his chest. 

“We have no idea how you did it alone, Cody,” Boil admitted, “and we’re not even Marshal Commanders.”

“Obi-Wan refused to name anyone else Marshal Commander, said that was your role and yours alone,” Waxer added, seeing the look on Cody’s face. “I mean, we didn’t get all of the responsibilities you did, but, _kark_ , Cody, how did you do this by yourself?! I struggle with Boil helping me!”

Cody chuckled, leaning against Rex’s side again.

“Obi-Wan was there to help,” Cody answered with a small shrug, “and I got used to doing all the paperwork in my old post, before I was Obi-Wan’s Commander. I quickly found a way to be efficient and get it done.”

“He did eventually learn not to sacrifice sleep for it either,” Rex added with a meaningful look to Cody, who smiled sheepishly. Cody glanced down as someone touched his knee, seeing Boil smiling sadly at him.

“Sorry,” he murmured. “I just…I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.”

“Boil,” Cody whispered as he slipped down to sit on the floor next to Boil, with Rex following. Boil leaned against Cody, sighing.

“We missed you, _ori’vod_ , so much,” Boil admitted, which made a lump appear in Cody’s throat. Boil rarely voiced his emotions besides he was annoyed, so it meant a lot to hear that from his surly brother. 

“I missed you all too,” Cody said, voice breaking slightly, before he pulled himself together and smiled weakly. “Now, tell me what mischief you’ve all gotten up to while I’ve been…gone.” 

Rex took Cody’s hand in his own again as Cody was regaled to all of the stories, a bit of it exaggerated, from his men. 

 

Obi-Wan sighed as he disconnected the call from the Council, who were relieved to know Cody had been retrieved safely, though surprised to hear his rescuer was Jango Fett. They had said nothing about why Obi-Wan didn’t bring him in and he knew they were wondering why Jango had faked his death to Boba. 

Obi-Wan took in a deep breath, trying to centre himself, as he connected to Anakin’s comm.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan greeted as the call was picked up, the blue holo forming. He smiled slightly at Anakin’s crossed arms and pointed look.

“ _You went to get Cody without me_ ,” Anakin said.

“You were on the ground battling, dear one,” Obi-Wan replied, “and it was a condition of Cody’s rescuer that I was the only Jedi who went.”

Anakin sighed but conceded the point. “ _How is he?_ ”

“He’s a bit in disbelief,” Obi-Wan admitted. “I don’t think it’s truly sunk in that he’s back with us yet.”

“ _How did he react when he first saw you?_ ”

Obi-Wan smiled. “He ran at me and threw himself into my arms,” Obi-Wan said softly. “He begged me to kiss him when we got on board the ship.”

Anakin nodded, smiling up at Obi-Wan. “ _Good to hear…and how did Rex cope with that reunion?_ ”

“Oh there were tears,” Obi-Wan said with a soft, fond laugh. “They’re speaking to each other now, along with Ghost Company.”

“ _I’ll tell Torrent the news, they’ll be so happy_ ,” Anakin chuckled. “ _We’ve managed to push back the droids into retreating, so we’ve made camp for the night. We should be back to Coruscant in a couple of days_.”

“Where’s Ahsoka?”

“ _Messing around with her boys_ ,” Anakin said fondly. “ _She’ll be so happy to hear about Cody, she does care for him as well._ ”

“I know,” Obi-Wan smiled. 

“ _Have you spoken to Cody about what will happen once you get to the Temple?_ ”

“Yes, and I told him that the Council knows that he and I are together,” Obi-Wan said. “He seemed so relieved to hear that and that the Council are relatively okay with it. He doesn’t want to pretend anymore and I don’t blame him, not after this.”

“ _It’s good you two will finally get to be together without having to hide_ ,” Anakin agreed. “ _I think it’ll help Cody too, not having to stress about that, he can just focus on getting better._ ”

“It’s going to be difficult,” Obi-Wan murmured.

“ _If anyone can help him, Obi-Wan, it’s you,_ ” Anakin said sincerely. “ _Yeah, things might get tough, but you’ll have each other…and that’s all that matters._ ”

“Thank you, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said softly before giving a weak smile. “Well, I might go see what they’re up to. I promised Cody I wouldn’t be long.”

Anakin nodded. “ _Sure, I’ll see you in a few days_.”

“Goodbye, Anakin.”

The holo flickered out and Obi-Wan stood, stretching out. He sighed once more before he headed out into the ship, locating Cody and the others quickly. Boil glanced up as Obi-Wan walked in and slid over so Obi-Wan could sit next to Cody. 

“You don’t need to…” Obi-Wan began to say but was cut off as Boil glared at him.

“Sit next to your _cyare_ , Kenobi,” Boil growled. Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows but acquiesced, squeezing in between Boil and Cody. 

Cody rested his head against Obi-Wan’s as he took Obi-Wan’s hand, threading his fingers with Obi-Wan’s. Obi-Wan nuzzled against Cody’s hair, gently pressing a kiss to his temple. 

“I’m so glad to see you two back together,” Helix said, smiling. Cody smiled at Helix.

“I’m glad I’m back too,” Cody said softly before smiling at Rex as Rex squeezed his other hand. Cody noticed that Rex still hadn’t cut his hair off.

“Decided not to cut your hair again, Rex’ika?” Cody asked gently, letting go of Rex’s hand so he could run his fingers through the soft, spiky, wavy blond hair, which was still regulation length. 

“Haven’t decided yet,” Rex admitted, closing his eyes slightly at the feel of Cody’s hand petting his hair. “I’ve gotten kind of used to it.”

“It suits you,” Obi-Wan spoke up with a smile. “Though it has taken some getting used to.” 

“It took me a while to get used to as well,” Rex smiled sadly. 

“Hey, Cody, there are more clothes in the storage room if you’d like to change,” Helix spoke up suddenly. Cody looked down at his clothes, which had been Jango’s. They were a little baggy on him, but the fabric was light and soft to help cope with the Tatooine heat. Cody shook his head.

“I’m fine, thank you, Helix,” he murmured. Rex nodded in understanding, knowing that the light brown pants and the flowy tan shirt Cody was wearing felt secure to him, since he was covered; also not to mention it had been Jango’s clothing, which added a bit more feeling of safety. 

“I’ll raid the Quartermaster’s supply when we get back to the Temple,” Obi-Wan murmured in Cody’s ear. “Get you some more comfortable clothes, like we did with Rex.”

Cody glanced at Rex, taking in his cargo pants and short sleeved, dark blue shirt, and gave a nod.

“Sounds good,” Cody yawned, suddenly feeling tired. Obi-Wan wrapped his arm around Cody’s waist, letting Cody lean against him.

“Sleep, my love,” Obi-Wan murmured. “You’re safe now.”

Cody smiled tiredly at him, resting his head against Obi-Wan’s shoulder as he cuddled close. The day had finally gotten to him and the adrenaline from waiting nervously, being so excited to see Obi and his brothers, had finally abated, leaving him tired. 

“You’re home now.”

 

Windu smiled slightly as he and Plo followed the excited trio of clones towards the hangar. They had gone to retrieve Ponds, Bly and Wolffe once they had received the message from Wooley, saying they were close by and requesting permission to land in the hangar, which Windu had immediately granted. 

“They’re so excited,” Plo said fondly as they followed the excited, laughing, chattering trio, who bumped and jostled each other as they walked towards the hangar.

“They’re finally getting both of their brothers back,” Windu murmured. Windu turned and smiled at Aayla as she fell into step with them. 

“I haven’t seen Bly so excited for so long,” Aayla sighed sadly. “Cody’s and Rex’s abduction hurt him greatly.”

“I know,” Windu said quietly in agreement. “Ponds struggled too.”

“As did Wolffe, though I believe young Echo helped him get through the months,” Plo added. Windu chuckled to himself. He couldn’t believe they had just had that conversation, where just mere months ago he would have never had had it. 

He actually quite liked the change, to be able to say that Ponds was his closest friend and that he would fight for him. 

They reached the hangar and immediately the clone trio’s excitement turned to nerves and anxiousness. Windu stepped up and placed his hand on Ponds’s shoulder, gaining a nervous look from him.

“It will be fine,” Windu reassured him, spotting Plo murmuring reassuringly to Wolffe as Aayla pulled Bly close to her, hugging him tightly as she murmured in his ear. 

“I-I know, it’s just…it’s just been so long, Mace,” Ponds whispered, looking back towards the entry of the hangar.

“I know,” Windu echoed, “but Cody will be so happy to see you.”

Ponds smiled shakily at that and Windu stepped back, allowing the three brothers to get close once more, talking softly to one another. Windu looked around the hangar, noticing the odd maintenance worker and clone bustling about, working on this and that. He even spotted one or two from his own battalion near a fighter, looking over it. He glanced down as he felt a familiar presence beside him, seeing Yoda standing there, serenely waiting.

“Almost home, they are,” Yoda said lightly. “Good to have them back, it will be.”

Windu nodded.

“It feels like family again,” Windu said quietly, just for Yoda to hear. “It feels _right_.”

“That it does,” Yoda agreed, humming thoughtfully. “That it does.” 

Windu looked up at the sound of a ship’s engine, seeing Obi-Wan’s ship pulling into the hangar and landing neatly. Ponds, Bly and Wolffe quickly walked forward, almost trembling with nerves as they waited for their brothers to be revealed. 

The ship ramp finally lowered with Ghost Company quickly departing, standing near the bottom of the ramp and grinning at Bly, Wolffe and Ponds.

“Rex,” Bly choked out as his blond brother walked down the ramp, soon followed by,

“Cody!” Ponds cried out in relief. Rex and Cody quickly hurried down the ramp, being pulled into a hug by the other three.

Windu approached the ramp as Obi-Wan finally descended, smiling softly at the scene in front of him, of the five squad-mates hugging each other tightly with Cody and Rex sandwiched in the middle between the three older clones.

Windu squeezed Obi-Wan’s shoulder and Obi-Wan looked back at him, smiling, as Yoda, Plo and Aayla walked over to join them.

“I knew they would be waiting for them,” Obi-Wan murmured. 

“I was wondering why you weren’t clinging onto his hand,” Plo said softly, corner of his mask pulled up in a smile. “Now I know.”

Cody closed his eyes, feeling the tears starting to fall, as he was held in between his three older brothers with Rex squashed in beside him. He felt safe, he felt secure, back in his brothers arms, feeling like he would never be hurt again, not as long as they were by his side. 

“Cody, Cody,” Ponds was whispering. “Rex, you’re here, you’re home!”

“Baby brothers,” Wolffe almost purred.

Bly pressed his head harder against Rex’s, body trembling as relief flowed through him. “Oh gods, baby brothers, we missed you so much,” Bly choked out.

They held each other tightly, murmuring words here and there, as tears slowly began to fall as it finally set in that Rex and Cody were _here_ , that they were _home_ and **safe**.

They didn’t care if others spotted the five Command clones crying; they were together again and that was all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops, accidentally deleted the chapter while trying to edit :S
> 
> Was going to leave the reunion to next chapter but couldn't wait
> 
> Might take me a bit longer to update next chapter, got a busy fortnight with work


	11. Unknown Mass

Windu looked down with a frown as his datapad beeped, signalling he had a message. He tapped upon it when he saw it was from one of his troopers and smiled at the video as it started playing. 

It was of Cody and Rex reuniting with their brothers in the hangar. 

One of Ponds’s men had been in the hangar, Windu had noticed them working on one of their fighters, and had recorded this. Windu watched it again before he pulled up the channel for the videos and uploaded it as Ponds had taught him. 

He paused for a moment as he thought of a title for it before he settled on one. It was short, but it fit the situation. 

Windu smiled once more as it posted.

Cody had been taken to the Halls of Healing to be checked out, once they had been able to pry him out of his brothers’ hugs and he knew that Ponds, Bly and Wolffe had retreated to Ponds’s apartment to have a drink while Cody was getting checked over, with Rex by his side, allowing him some privacy. 

Windu leaned back as the datapad beeped, signalling that the video had been uploaded, feeling some slight smugness as he thought of the Chancellor seeing this and of the public seeing this. Finally the public would see the faces of the men that the Chancellor gave up on, that he refused to help, and allowed to be hurt. Finally the Chancellor would see that the Jedi had refused to give up on them.

Windu frowned at that thought.

He truly did need to speak to Bail Organa and Padme Amidala and ask them in assisting the Jedi in setting terms for the Senate, especially since they were looking at pulling back from the Senate’s control. He just wanted to make sure they didn’t lose the clone troopers. He couldn’t bear that thought, though he knew that the Republic would be in an uproar if that were to happen; the people had warmed towards the Jedi and clones, especially after seeing all of these videos. 

 

Obi-Wan stood by Cody’s side as he sat on the infirmary bed, grumbling as he ran his hands over the gown that Vokara had made him change into. Obi-Wan smiled at Cody’s grumbling, reaching out to take his hand as Rex chuckled from where he was sitting in the corner.

“Just go with it, _vod_ ,” Rex suggested with a laugh. “Trust me.”

Cody sighed and leaned back against the bed before Vokara came in, smiling at him.

“Hello, Cody,” she greeted once more. Cody smiled weakly at her.

“Healer Che,” he murmured in return. Vokara looked to Obi-Wan and Rex before turning back to Cody.

“Are you okay with these two in the room while I look you over?” Vokara asked. Cody nodded, squeezing Obi-Wan’s hand.

“They’ve both seen it all,” he joked weakly, making Rex snort. Vokara nodded.

“I’m just going to take blood first so we can run it,” Vokara started to explain calmly to which Cody nodded. Vokara quickly and carefully took the blood, heading out of the room to pass it to one of the assistant Healers. She came back to the bed, speaking to Cody gently, telling him what she was going to do be doing before she did it. Vokara continued her examination, making sure there were no broken ribs, using the Force to further reach and examine each part she was looking over, making sure she wasn’t missing anything. 

She paused as she reached his ears, finding small holes.

“Did you have your ears pierced before?” she asked him. Cody shuddered and shook his head.

“No,” Cody said quietly. “Tram pierced my ears against my will. Jango must have taken them out…I-I forgot all about them.”

Vokara nodded, gently patting Cody’s knee as she looked up at Obi-Wan, seeing him looking at Cody sadly as he reached up to gently stroke the back of Cody’s head.

Vokara stepped back, looking to the door as one of her student Healers came in, holding out a datapad. She thanked them as she took it, reading over the blood results. Obi-Wan let go of Cody’s hand briefly, walking over to her side.

“Vokara,” he murmured.

“Mm?”

“Jango said that Cody was heavily dosed with spice for two weeks,” Obi-Wan explained quietly. “He still has some after-effects from it.”

Vokara frowned at that, looking back to his blood-work.

“Well, his preliminary bloods are all clean and how they should be,’ she said before looking up and fixing Obi-Wan with a look. “And you didn’t tell me this before I started his examination why?”

“Because you didn’t give me the chance to,” Obi-Wan retorted, making Vokara smile slightly. That was true, she had zeroed in on Cody the moment Obi-Wan led him into the Halls of Healing. 

“I’m going to go organize the atomic scan,” Vokara said, speaking loudly enough so Cody and Rex could hear her. “If he’s having after-effects from the drugging, it’s best to make sure his brain is working right and all neurons are firing as they should be.” 

Vokara quickly headed off to organize the scan as Obi-Wan walked back to Cody’s side.

“My brain might be damaged?” Cody asked quietly, worriedly. Obi-Wan gave a small shake of his head.

“No, I don’t believe it is,” Obi-Wan said softly. “It just might be your neurons are firing off incorrectly due to the spice throwing things out of balance, that doesn’t mean your brain is damaged,” Obi-Wan added, seeing Cody’s worried look. “It’ll be fine. You’ll lost the after-effects in time, Vokara just wants to make sure everything is how it should be or if she can find a way to assist to make your healing quicker.” 

Cody nodded and shivered.

“Cold, my love?” Obi-Wan asked. Cody gave a small nod and Obi-Wan shifted to the end of the bed, grabbing the soft, thick blanket and pulling it up. He gently pushed Cody down, smiling, so he could tuck Cody in. Cody gave him a look before caving and smiling. Rex pulled his chair over so he was sitting beside Cody’s bed. Cody sighed and closed his eyes, relaxed and soothed as Obi-Wan gently stroked his scar. 

Vokara came back in a few minutes later.

“Cody, could you come with me, please?” she asked, keeping her voice soft and gentle – a tone which Obi-Wan never got to hear from her. “Rex and Obi-Wan will have to stay here, but you’ll be back shortly, I promise.”

Cody nodded, getting out of the bed. He shivered as his feet touched the ground and Vokara frowned slightly before she grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders, pulling it close around him. Cody smiled weakly at her and she smiled back before she placed her blue hand on his arm and led him away. 

Obi-Wan sighed as he sat on the edge of the bunk, tiredly rubbing his forehead.

“You okay, Obi-Wan?”

Obi-Wan glanced at Rex, giving a tired smile.

“I’m just worried about him,” Obi-Wan admitted. “I-I don’t want to do anything that makes him freak out or anything.”

Rex smiled sadly at him. “He will be jumpy for a while, I still am,” Rex admitted. “Just make sure he knows when you’re approaching or if you plan to touch him, and let him make the decision if he wants to be held or not. Some days…some days I just don’t want to be touched.”

Obi-Wan nodded in understanding.

“It’s going to be hard, Obi-Wan, I’ll admit that now,” Rex continued, though his golden eyes had darkened and he had downturned them to stare at his hands. “I still struggle with nightmares, with memories. There are times where I just want to be left alone and times when I want to hang onto someone and never let go. I flinch at sudden movements and freaked out when Fives hugged me from behind.” Rex turned his gaze back to Obi-Wan. “It’s going to be hard, but I know you’ll be fine.” 

Obi-Wan smiled weakly at that. He looked up as the door open and Cody was led back in. Vokara watched as he climbed back into the bed, with Obi-Wan quickly tucking him back in.

“I’m going to look over Cody’s scans now and look over the deeper blood work,” she told them. “Stay here and I’ll let you know what’s going on when I find out the results.”

“Of course, Master Che,” Obi-Wan said, gaining rolled eyes from the Master Healer before she turned and left.

“She doesn’t like you much, does she?” Cody asked, amused.

“I think I drove her quite mad during my Padawan years,” Obi-Wan chuckled. “I was always trying to get out of visits to the Healers and check-ups, and I also became quite apt at escaping the Halls of Healing…well, until she found me and dragged me back by my Padawan braid.” 

Rex snorted at that. “We’re not introducing her to Kix, are we?”

Cody shuddered at that thought. “Best to keep Helix away from her too.”

Obi-Wan chuckled as he sat on the edge of Cody’s bed, running his hand through Cody’s soft hair. He watched as Cody and Rex talked to one another, focusing on Cody’s face and the feel of his hair in between his fingers. Obi-Wan’s stomach twisted as he thought about this. He had come so close to losing Cody, to never seeing him again, never stroking his hair again…he just couldn’t believe that Cody was back with him, safe and secure. 

At least now he didn’t have to pretend that Cody was just his Commander. Now they could truly be together while Obi-Wan stayed by his side. 

Obi-Wan closed his eyes, examining Cody’s Force signature, revelling in its familiar warmth. Cody was still a warm gold, though there were a few small changes within the signature, Obi-Wan noticed with a small frown. There were a few patches of dark gold, which was almost like it was covered in shadow; it felt cold and empty when Obi-Wan examined those patches, as though life had been sucked from it.

Obi-Wan opened his eyes once more, looking at Cody sadly.

This experience had damaged Cody’s Force signature, his aura. Obi-Wan silently vowed to himself that he would help fix that, that he would make Cody feel warm, safe and whole once more. 

Vokara suddenly came in, her dark eyes wide. 

“Rex, can I borrow you, please?” she asked. Rex frowned but nodded, getting up to follow her.

“Obi?” Cody asked worriedly. Obi-Wan turned back to Cody, gently tracing his scar.

“I’m sure everything is fine, my love,” soothed Obi-Wan.

Rex came back a little while later, looking confused as he settled back down beside Cody’s bed.

“Rex? Are you okay?” Cody asked worriedly.

“Yeah, I think so,” Rex answered. “Master Che didn’t really say anything, but…but she looked concerned.”

“I-I am sure it is nothing,” Obi-Wan tried to reassure him, though he could feel a spike of uneasiness from Vokara.

Soon enough, Vokara came in, a deep furrow in between her eyebrows.

“Cody, Rex,” she started, “is there any chance that you had surgery without you knowing it?”

“From Tris and Tram?” Cody questioned, gaining a nod from Vokara. Cody looked to Rex, frowning, before shaking his head.

“I-I don’t believe so, I mean, there were no scars or times when we were unconscious long enough for something to happen,” Cody continued. “Why?”

Vokara held out a small holo-disc, activating it.

“Is that…?” Obi-Wan began to ask.

“This is Cody’s brain,” Vokara explained, eyes fixed on the slowly rotating 3d image. She carefully pointed out a spot in the right temple of the brain and with a few flicks of her fingers, changed the contrast colour of it.

Obi-Wan frowned, seeing something unusual there.

“What is that?”

“That is what I am unsure of,” Vokara answered heavily. “It looks like an organic growth, almost like a tumour…except it seems more, well, refined.”

Vokara flicked the image, pulling up another image and changing the contrast again.

“This is Rex’s brain.”

“There’s the same thing,” Cody said, looking to Rex in shock. Vokara nodded and Obi-Wan could sense her unease.

“That’s why I wanted to know if it was possible if your captors had placed these in your heads,” Vokara said quietly.

“They didn’t,” Rex said before his voice turned bitter. “They would have bragged about it if they did.”

“Vokara?” Obi-Wan questioned, seeing a thoughtful look come over her face.

“The young clone with the headaches – Tup – is he still on Coruscant?”

“Yes.”

“I need you to get him here,” Vokara said. “It’ll give me an excuse to check his brain, to see if perhaps all of the clones have these… _things_ , and will hopefully show what’s causing his headaches.” Vokara frowned suddenly, looking to Obi-Wan in alarm.

“What if this _thing_ is causing his headaches?” she asked, alarmed. “Kenobi, you need to get me that boy now!”

Obi-Wan nodded, quickly sending Tup a message. “What if people ask, Vokara?”

“I’m just scanning Tup to get baseline reads to compare Cody’s scan to,” Vokara said easily. “Also, Cody, despite the discovery of that unknown _thing_ , there seems to be no permanent damage from the spice. I’ll get you on some medications that will help stop the after-effects.”

“Master Che, what are these _things_ in our head?” Rex asked worriedly. Vokara turned her deep gaze back to the 3d holo.

“In all honesty, Rex, it reminds me of a chip,” she said quietly. “Something I’ve seen in slaves we’ve attempted to help…but I’ve never seen them so intricately meshed in the brain like this. It’s as though it was placed there when the brain was forming.”

“Can you get it out?” Cody asked, panicked. Obi-Wan gently took his hand, squeezing softly.

“Once I confirm that it’s in Tup’s brain as well, I will make sure you, Rex and Tup are the first ones to have it removed so we can study what it actually is,” Vokara promised. “Though I believe it will be best not to allow this information to leave the room until we’ve confirmed what it is.”

“Can we stay here and wait for Tup and the results?” Rex asked. Vokara nodded, giving them soft smiles.

“Of course,” she reassured them. “I will go get some food ordered for you,” here, she glanced at Cody. “You do need to put on some weight.”

Cody gave a small nod. Tram hadn’t really bothered to feed him all that often when they were on Tatooine, and the spice had seemed to speed up his metabolism even more. Jango had tried to keep him fed with good food, but he had vomited most of it back up and had struggled to eat even after coming out of his withdrawals. 

“Rex can help with that,” Obi-Wan added with a smile. “He’s been cooking up quite a storm, Cody, you should see the younglings always crowding around him.”

Cody looked to Rex, smiling when he saw the flush across Rex’s cheeks. 

“Really?”

Obi-Wan chuckled as he told Cody the story of how Rex had fed the younglings sugar before their lesson with Yoda, leaving them all laughing and telling more stories after that.

It helped them forget the worry, just for a little while. 

 

Dooku sat back in his chair, eyes fixed on the screen in front of him.

_“Rex!”_

_“Cody!”_

He couldn’t help the small smile that pulled at his lips as he watched the two clones being pulled in and embraced by their brothers. His gaze drifted to the group in the back of the video, seeing Windu place his hand on Obi-Wan’s shoulder, with Obi-Wan looking at the group of clones fondly, with adoration in his grey-blue eyes. It was unnoticeable to those who did not know Obi-Wan, but Dooku knew his Grand-Padawan all too well. 

Dooku looked at the title of the video once more.

_Brothers Reunited_

It was apt and fit quite well…and it was definitely pulling at the public’s heartstrings if the comments were anything to go by. Dooku smirked suddenly.

Perhaps it was time to stoke the fire a bit and cause more unease in Palpatine’s leadership. 

Making sure he was unable to be detected, Dooku logged onto the dummy account he had made for purposes such as this.

_How heart-warming to see_ , Dooku typed out, _Though those names seem familiar. Weren’t they the ones that the Chancellor gave up on? The ones that he left to be hurt and raped and that he threatened the clone, Ponds, about when he spoke up about the unfairness of it?_

Dooku pressed submit and leaned back, smirking to himself.

It was only mere moments before his datapad beeped, signalling a reply. He grinned smugly as he read the response.

_Oh my stars, I believe you’re right! Cody was the one that was still lost, wasn’t he? So glad to see the Jedi refused to give up on him and brought him home! I cried when I saw those sweet brothers being reunited, you can see how much they care for each other_

Dooku placed his datapad aside, feeling smug. He truly did undermining Palpatine, watching all those carefully laid plans being pulled apart.

It was true in the beginning that he followed the Sith Lord without question, but as time went by and the Galaxy was reduced to war, with millions of innocents dying, he began to question everything. He knew Palpatine had played him, using his pain of Qui-Gon’s loss and the distrust he had in the Jedi Council to sway him to his side. 

But Dooku could never agree with the murder of the younglings. They had nothing to do with this. They were young and innocent. 

And, seeing all of these videos, seeing how the Jedi were pushing back against the Senate to do what was right…Dooku could see that they were changing and he was relieved.  
He wanted to give them that chance to truly prove themselves, to show they weren’t the Senate’s pawns – so he would undermine Palpatine to do so. 

Besides, Dooku knew that Palpatine would kill him the first chance he got, especially if he got his claws on that infuriating Skywalker.

Dooku barely kept from startling as his comm beeped and his heart sunk as he saw who was contacting him.

He wondered if Palpatine knew how his ‘faithful’ Apprentice was undermining him. Dooku schooled his features, calming himself, before answered the call.

“My Master,” he greeted, bowing his head demurely in greeting. 

“ _Tyranus_ ,” the hooded figure returned. “ _These Jedi are irritating me. They went against orders once more to rescue that blasted clone. I thought you told me they were listening to my orders?_ ”

“That was what I heard myself, Master,” Dooku said quickly but calmly. “It goes against everything the Council has ever done before, to risk war for two clones.”

Palpatine sneered, leaning back in his seat. 

_“Is there a way to use that treaty against them? Is there a way to show that the Lady of Osiris was coerced into signing it?”_

“None, my Lord,” Dooku answered. “Lady Maia had recorded the treaty signing and showed it in the Separatist Senate.”

He failed to mention how he was the one to suggest bringing footage of the signing to the session offhandedly, saying how it would stop the others from doubting her.

“There were also other Osirian witnesses who signed the treaty and testified as well,” Dooku continued. 

_“Perhaps we need to get rid of her,”_ Palpatine sneered.

“That would inadvisable, my Lord,” Dooku said calmly. “Lady Maia is a formidable figure and is a great ally to the Separatist cause. If she was to suddenly be killed and the Republic implicated, the people would talk, knowing that none of this would add up.”

_“Another leader perhaps?”_

“Lady Maia is the best leader for Osiris,” Dooku continued. “I have met the other Government Officials and they would hinder our cause if they were leading Osiris.”

Especially that fat one…Urit.

Palpatine snarled under his breath before disconnecting.

Dooku leaned back in his chair, relaxing. 

Palpatine would soon find himself struggling to hold onto the power and Dooku was relishing that thought.

 

Tup found himself pulled to sit on Rex’s lap as they sat in Cody’s infirmary room, waiting to hear the results of his scan. 

He had been surprised to get the call but he quickly came, only to be alarmed to find out the reason why he had been called. 

“You all right there, _vod’ika_?” Rex asked, gently bumping his head against Tup’s shoulder. Tup turned slightly so he could see Rex and nodded, giving a small smile.  
They all looked up as Vokara walked in, looking more harried than before.

“What is it, Vokara?”

“Tup’s scan shows it as well,” Vokara said, voice heavy, as she activated the 3d holo of Tup’s brain. “But there’s an issue.”

“What is it?” Rex asked worried, wrapping his arms around Tup’s middle and hugging him tightly. Vokara brought up the thing in Tup’s brain.

“It looks different to ours,” Cody said, unsure.

“That’s because Tup’s one is deteriorating,” Vokara explained, looking to Tup worriedly. “That’s what’s been causing your headaches, youngling.”

“What can we do, Vokara?” Obi-Wan asked, looking to Tup and seeing how quickly the youngling had paled.

“I’m going to take Tup in for surgery, we need to that out now,” she said, “and then I’ll take out Cody’s and Rex’s so we can compare them.”

“Can you do it without shaving their hair or leaving noticeable scars?” Obi-Wan asked, causing Vokara to frown at him. Obi-Wan ran a hand through his copper hair, messing it up, as his mind quickly went through the implications.

“Somebody made sure to put those things in the clones’ heads,” Obi-Wan explained, “but we don’t know who or for what reason.”

“If the clones were seen to have shaved heads at about that area it might tip that person off,” Vokara continued.

Cody suddenly gasped, looking to Obi-Wan. “I-I almost forgot!” he yelped, “but it was Dooku!”

“What do you mean?” Obi-Wan asked worriedly. 

“Jango told me that he was hired to be the template by Dooku, otherwise known as Tyranus,” Cody explained.

“A Sith name?” Vokara questioned, horrified, gaining looks from the others. "I mean, it falls within the names used: Maul, Sidious and Tyranus...all Sith names."

“That could mean the Sith…” Obi-Wan trailed off, looking to Cody, Rex and Tup with horror. “That the Sith helped to create you.”

“For what purpose though?” Vokara asked, voice shaking slightly. “I thought Sifo-Dyas was the one who ordered the clones for the Jedi and the Republic?”

“That has come up in debates,” Obi-Wan admitted. “We believe Sifo-Dyas was killed before the clones were ordered…but if Dooku truly had a hand in this, we can’t risk those things being the clones’ heads. We do know that they’re chips or inhibitors of some sort, but we don’t know for what purpose.”

“We need to get these things out and present them to the Council before we figure out how to remove them from every clone,” Vokara added.

“We need to figure out what they truly are and what its purpose is as well,” Obi-Wan sighed.

“Please, just get it out of our skulls,” Rex said, horrified. “If Dooku knew about us, had a hand in our creation, I don’t want this unknown thing in my head.”

Vokara nodded. “Tup, are you ready?”

“It won’t hurt him to remove it, will it?” Rex asked worriedly.

Vokara shook her head. “No, that mass will be easily removed. Your little brother will be perfectly safe in my hands.”

Tup gave a nod, feeling horrified himself. He just wanted this thing out of his head. 

Rex gave Tup once last hug before Tup followed Vokara from the room once more.

“I-I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier,” Cody’s voice spoke up meekly. “After everything…it…it just slipped my mind.”

“It’s okay, dearest,” Obi-Wan reassured him. “You remembered at the right time.”

“Do you really think Dooku had a hand in our creation?” Rex asked worriedly. “I mean, why would he make an army for the Republic when he’s a Separatist?”

“On his Master’s orders maybe,” Obi-Wan muttered, rubbing his beard thoughtfully. “Either way, something about this is making the Force scream at me.”

Cody shuddered and Obi-Wan sat on the edge of the bed, drawing Cody into his arms.

“Jango said that he gave Dooku reports about us,” Cody mumbled. “He told Dooku about _me_. I-I’m scared about this, Obi.”

Obi-Wan clutched Cody tighter at that, knowing Cody rarely admitted he was scared or fearful.

“We’ll figure it out, my love,” Obi-Wan reassured him and Rex. “We’ll get those _things_ out of your heads, study it to see what its true purpose is, and figure out how we’re going to get them out of the other’s heads or at least find a way to render it inactive.”

Cody nodded, burrowing his face into Obi-Wan’s shoulder.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes, releasing his own fears into the Force so he could remain calm for Cody and Rex.

He knew this was big and that it could change something, the Force was pushing that.

Obi-Wan suddenly got a feeling that they had just stumbled across something large, a larger plot, and felt uneasy.

He knew the true fight was about to begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all went quiet last chapter, everything all good?
> 
> Annnd it's time for the chips! :P I've called them _things_ because they don't truly know what they are yet, not until they pull them from some heads


	12. Chips

Obi-Wan stared out of the window, rubbing his beard worriedly. Vokara and the other senior Healers had come in and had retrieved Rex and then Cody later on. They had finally allowed Obi-Wan to go and be by their sides in the recovery room, where they were still sleeping off the remnants of the anaesthesia. 

Vokara was studying the organic masses now, trying to figure out what it truly was and how it got into the clones’ heads. 

Obi-Wan turned at a low groan and saw Tup starting to wake up in the furthest bed. He quickly walked over, taking one of Tup’s hands in his own. Tup’s hair was loose, spread out across the pillow underneath him. Obi-Wan’s free hand went up to gently touch the gauze on the right side of Tup’s temple, where Vokara had cut to access the mass. 

He truly hoped it didn’t scar. 

Vokara did manage to get to the mass without shaving any hair, so at least that wouldn’t give anything away to the wrong person. 

“Easy, Tup, easy,” Obi-Wan soothed as Tup groaned, finally opening his eyes. Tup blinked, trying to clear the slight blurriness that the anaesthesia left. Finally he did so, squinting up at Obi-Wan, even within the dimly lit room. 

“Obi-Wan?” Tup mumbled.

Obi-Wan smiled, gently stroking Tup’s hair. “Yes, Tup, it’s me.”

“Everything okay?”

“As far as I know your surgery went well, as did Rex’s and Cody’s,” Obi-Wan explained gently. “They’re in the beds beside you.” 

Tup rolled his head to the side, seeing that his _ori’vod_ were indeed there – though they were still out of it – and sighed, relaxing further. Obi-Wan smiled softly as he continued to gently stroke Tup’s hair soothingly. 

Obi-Wan glanced over his shoulder as the door opened, seeing Vokara standing there, looking worried.

“Kenobi, a word.”

Obi-Wan nodded at her brisk tone, looking back to Tup. “Get some more rest, Tup, I’ll be back shortly.”

Tup gave a nod, his half-closed eyes already drifting shut. Obi-Wan stroked his hair once more before he turned and left the room, meeting Vokara outside.

“What did you find?” he asked quietly. Vokara held up a small glass tube filled with thick, blue liquid, almost like a gel, that something was floating in. Obi-Wan carefully took it from her, bringing it to eye level and frowning as he scrutinized it.

“It looks almost like…” he trailed off, eyes widening as he looked back to Vokara, who nodded grimly as she took the tube from him.

“Like a chip?” she finished. “That’s what it is. I haven’t been able to figure out what it does, that needs a lot more research, but I’ve determined it’s a chip.”

“We need to convene the Council,” Obi-Wan murmured. “We need to get this chip studied so we can find a way to destroy it, hopefully without surgery.”

Vokara frowned at that. “Why without surgery?”

“These were put in the clones’ heads for a reason,” Obi-Wan explained. “We can’t let whoever ordered this find out we’re taking them out of the troopers’ brains.”

Vokara nodded in agreement, shivering at the sense of foreboding that crossed her at the mere thought of Dooku and his Master finding that out. 

“There’s something else,” Vokara said before she brought out a second tube. Obi-Wan took it once more, frowning at the distorted looking chip.

“What…?”

“The first chip was from Rex’s brain,” Vokara explained before tapping the tube Obi-Wan was holding with a blue finger. “This is Tup’s chip. It was deteriorating in his brain. It’s a good thing we got it out when we did, it was close to becoming compromised.”

“Compromised?”

“I’m betting it would have set off whatever the function of this chip was…and…” Vokara hesitated briefly, “and the way it’s deteriorated, I believe that if it had deteriorated any further, any attempts to take it out would have killed him.” 

Obi-Wan shuddered at thought, glancing back into the room and looking at the sleeping Tup, his face peaceful in sleep, making him look like his young age. 

He couldn’t imagine losing Tup, with his giant heart, and then having to watch Rex, Cody and Torrent and Ghost Companies try and cope with that loss. He knew it would destroy them. They all loved him. 

“We need to tell the Council, Obi-Wan,” Vokara said quietly. “They need to know.”

Obi-Wan nodded. “I’ll call Mace and Yoda here so they can see the evidence and also hear what Cody said about Jango and Dooku.” 

Vokara gave a curt nod, tucking the glass tubes away safely in her robes. 

“I’ve told my senior Healers not to talk about it for now,” she said. “We can’t have that news spread.”

“Do you trust them?”

Vokara gave him a pointed look. “I only took my most trusted Healers into the operating room with me…and the droid can be wiped, so there’s going to be no leaks on my end.”

Obi-Wan held up his hands in surrender, offering a small smile. “I was just checking.”

Vokara rolled her eyes, swatting at his arm lightly.

“Go gather the old folks then, I’ll keep an eye on these three,” Vokara said, her voice turning fond as she looked at the trio of sleeping clones.

“Vokara,” Obi-Wan exclaimed, mocked-surprised. “You’re not being gentle are you? What happened to the scary Master Healer that you don’t mess with?”

The blue Twi’lek gave him a pointed look. “Only you and that terror you called a Padawan get that side of me,” she retorted. “These lovely boys do as I say and don’t try to escape the healer’s wing.”

“Only because they know how scary medics can be,” Obi-Wan snorted. 

“That reminds me,” Vokara said with a sly grin. “You should really bring by their medics, it would be helpful to have their opinions and to let them know what to look out for. Kix was the one who noticed Tup’s symptoms and figured something wasn’t right, correct?”

“Correct,” Obi-Wan said, though he was horrified to think of what would happen when Vokara and the medics finally met.

“Good, I want to meet them, Kenobi, make sure I do.”

Obi-Wan stared after her as she walked into the clones’ recovery room, checking them over, before he sighed, going to find somewhere private so he could comm Mace and Yoda.

 

An hour later, they were all standing in the recovery room, all three clones wide awake now.

Windu was staring at Obi-Wan in disbelief as Yoda sat in his hover-chair, frowning as his ears tipped forward, uneasy. 

“Chips?” he repeated, looking to Vokara, who nodded and held up the glass tube once more. 

“And Dooku was the one who hired Jango?” Windu asked once more, getting a small nod from Cody.

“Yes, sir,” he answered quietly. “That’s why Jango faked his death, knowing that Dooku could use Boba against him.”

Windu just rubbed his chin, unsure, before looking to Yoda. “There are chips in their brains.”

“Horrifying, this is,” Yoda agreed. “Find out their true purpose, we must.”

“I can’t get into it,” Vokara sighed. “It’s almost, well… _electronic_ in a way.”

“How so?”

“I can see very faint, very fine circuitry,” Vokara explained, “which I believe, when activated, would send out commands or pulses that would cause the clones to react, whether they wanted to or not.”

Obi-Wan looked pale, as did the three clones. “It would override their free will?” Obi-Wan choked out. Vokara gave a grim nod in response.

“The way I can see it, just by looking at it closely, is that it would override their neurons and push that command and make them follow it.”

“Sirs, we need to get these out of my brothers’ heads,” Cody croaked. 

“We will, Cody,” Windu reassured him, before looking back to Yoda. “We can’t allow them to remain in the clones’ heads.”

“Agree, I do,” Yoda sighed, “but careful, we must be.”

“I agree with that,” Obi-Wan said, carefully not looking at Cody. “We need to find a way to deactivate the chips, find a way we can stop them from working without removing them from the clones…until later of course,” he added reassuringly as he glanced at Cody, seeing the shocked look.

Windu sighed. “We can’t afford for this to spread. Dooku and his master might gain wind of it.”

“And we don’t want them to activate the chips, if that is truly their contingency plan,” Vokara agreed. 

“That wasn’t my only issue with it,” Obi-Wan admitted quietly. “I know most Jedi would be horrified if they heard about this and would send their men straight to medbay to get the chips removed…but I’m worried about the Jedi who wouldn’t.”

Vokara gaped at him. “You believe some Jedi wouldn’t…?! Even if it meant saving the clones’ lives?!”

“Yes, I sadly believe that,” Obi-Wan sighed, leaning against Cody’s bed. Cody immediately intertwined his fingers with Obi-Wan’s, making Obi-Wan smile at him tiredly. 

“Jedi like Krell for example,” Obi-Wan continued. “You’ve all seen his casualty numbers, I know I’ve brought it up before…but I don’t see him sending his men to medbay to have surgery since it’ll put them out of action while they recover. He wouldn’t believe it was worth it…or he might think that these chips are deserved.”

“Deserved?!” Rex exclaimed.

“I have a feeling if the Kaminoans knew we found them, they’d spin some rubbish tale about it being inhibitor chips, stopping you from doing anything bad,” Obi-Wan said tiredly.

“Make us into slaves you mean,” Rex muttered bitterly. 

“I know, Rex, I know,” Obi-Wan soothed, “and we know that the chips aren’t that or it would have stopped Slick, though I still wouldn’t leave them in your brains, even if that truly was the case.” 

“You deserve the right to have the right to your own thoughts, emotions and actions,” Windu added. “Even if it meant you all decided to leave once the chip was out, we wouldn’t change our minds.”

“I don’t feel any different,” Tup spoke up, before flushing when he realised the attention was on him. “I don’t feel any different, I still want to serve with my brothers and the Jedi.”

“Not feelin’ like you’re going to turn Separatist?” Rex joked darkly, making Tup smile weakly.

“No, I still feel like me.”

“Well, that just proves that the chips aren’t there to control emotions then,” Windu said. “We will get Shaak Ti to look into them, discreetly of course, we can’t tip off the Kaminoans in case they tip off their true employers.”

“We still need to find a way to deactivate the chips until we can remove them,” Vokara added, “and the deactivation needs to be permanent, so there is no way it can be reversed.”

“Obi-Wan, the 501st are due back shortly, aren’t they?” Windu asked suddenly, making Obi-Wan nod.

“Talent with machines and codes, Skywalker has,” Yoda added before smirking. “Been chased around enough by his repurposed droids, I have.” 

“Anakin would definitely put all his attention into this,” Obi-Wan agreed. “H-He won’t rest until he finds a way, especially since this is so like his own situation with slave chips.”

“Get the ARC Trooper, Echo, to assist him,” Windu added. “He’s proven himself quite tech-savvy. I am sure between the two of them, they can find a way quicker than anybody else.”

Rex couldn’t help but smile with pride for Echo, hearing Windu praise his younger brother so openly. 

“We’ll go inform the rest of the Council. Let us know when Skywalker is done catching up with you after he arrives,” Windu said, making Obi-Wan smirk.

“You’re not going to summon him straight away?”

“And put up with his grumpy pout? Never.” 

Rex snorted with laughter at Windu’s dead-panned voice. Windu smirked slightly at Rex’s laughter.

“Rest, you should. Well, everything will be,” Yoda told the three clones gently. 

“Vokara, if you need any more chip samples for Skywalker to play with, Ponds isn’t leaving the Temple anytime soon…and I know he would feel more comfortable – as would I for that fact – if the chip was removed,” Windu said quietly. 

“Speak to him for me and send him my way if he’s willing,” Vokara added, patting Windu’s arm and startling him. “It’s good to see you care so much for someone, Mace.”

Windu blinked at her, before looking at Yoda, scowling slightly, as he heard Yoda cackling. 

“Attached he is,” Yoda agreed gleefully, poking at Windu’s thigh with his gimer stick. “Good to see him so happy, it is. Less younglings breaking into tears around him.”

“All right, enough out of you, Troll,” Windu grumbled under his breath. “We need to go brief the Council.”

Tup stared after the two Masters as they left with Vokara following soon after them.

“I didn’t think High Generals were that…weird,” Tup said, causing Rex and Cody to snort with laughter as Obi-Wan smiled.

“They’ve become a lot more open lately,” Obi-Wan admitted. “More hopeful and more relaxed…well, as relaxed as one can be while trying to fight and stop a war.” 

“They’re going to help our brothers though, right?” Cody asked quietly. Obi-Wan turned to him so he could press a kiss against Cody’s temple, avoiding the gauze bandage. 

“Of course, my love,” Obi-Wan reassured him. “I won’t let your brothers be used. Anakin won’t allow that either. He’ll find a way.” 

They looked to the doorway as the door opened. 

“ _Ori’vod_ ,” Cody spoke up, smiling as Ponds came through, though he was closely followed by Wolffe and Bly. 

“How are you three recovering from your impromptu surgery?” Bly asked as he settled at Rex’s side, gently stroking Rex’s hair. Rex immediately leaned against his older brother, comforted by his solid bulk. 

“Fine,” Tup answered as Wolffe settled on his bunk. 

“I take it Mace told you?” Obi-Wan asked as Ponds came to settle on the other side of Cody’s bunk.

“Yes,” Ponds answered. “Bly and Wolffe were with me when he came, so he told them too. They decided to come along.”

“I’m not serving with my General with this thing in my head,” Bly spoke up, shuddering. “What if it makes me hurt her? I-I couldn’t live with myself if I hurt her.”

Rex took Bly’s hand, squeezing it reassuringly at that. 

“You don’t feel any different, do you?” Wolffe asked Tup.

“No, I feel fine,” Tup answered. “Master Che believes I won’t get any more headaches with that chip gone.”

“Why was it giving you headaches?” Ponds asked curiously. “I don’t think I’ve heard of any other brothers having such intense migraines like you do.”

Tup looked to Obi-Wan, who nodded.

“My chip was deteriorating and that’s what Master Che believes was causing my migraines.”

Ponds swore under his breath at that and Wolffe reached over to tuck the _vod’ika_ close against his chest. 

“Deteriorating?” Bly repeated, blinking in shock. “But…how was it doing that?!”

“The circuitry in the chip had begun to misfire as the chip deteriorated,” a voice suddenly said from the doorway. They all looked around, seeing Vokara standing there. “It was firing off and causing Tup’s neurons to misfire, which was hurting him.” 

“But the _vod’ika_ will be okay now?” Wolffe asked worriedly, knowing much his Pup adored his little brother. 

Vokara smiled. “He will be just fine,” she reassured him. “Now, are all three of you volunteering to have yours removed?”

The responses came quickly.

“Absolutely.”

“Yep.”

“Let’s do it.”

Vokara smiled and nodded. “Of course, I will be taking you in one by one, just so I can oversee and so my senior Healers can learn the procedure too.”

“There’s no risk, is there?” Bly spoke up hesitantly. 

“If your chip is intact – and we’ll be doing scans before I even attempt to do the surgery – then there will be no issue,” Vokara reassured him. “I’m confident in removing it with no issue to you at all. The only time that there has to be more care taken is with a case like Tup’s, when the chip is deteriorating.” 

Bly, Wolffe and Ponds looked at each other and nodded.

“Well, I’m the oldest, I’ll go first,” Ponds said, standing up. 

“Technically Tup went first and he’s the youngest,” Rex spoke up, grinning at Ponds. Ponds gave him a look.

“When Master Che clears you for exercise, I’m going to chase your _shebs_ around the training salles,” Ponds promised him darkly. “Then I’m going to remind you what real sparring is like.”

“Only if you can catch me, old boy,” Rex retorted cheekily. 

“Okay, okay, you lot,” Vokara laughed as they started bickering playfully. “Let’s get this started, hmm?”

Ponds nodded and followed Vokara from the room, going to get the scan and then going straight to the operating room. 

Wolffe let go of Tup as his comm beeped.

“ _Wolffe, my son,_ ” Plo’s voice said worriedly. “ _Where are you? There’s something I need to tell you_.”

“If it’s about what they found in Cody’s head, I already know about it, _Buir_ ,” Wolffe reassured him, though purposefully keeping it vague, not knowing if anyone could overhear it on Plo's end. “Bly, Ponds and I are in the Halls of Healing to get ours taken out. Ponds just gone in to get it out.”

“ _Are you sure, my son?_ ”

“Yes, _Buir_ , I don’t want this thing in my head…what if it makes me hurt you or the pack or Echo?” Wolffe murmured, fully aware the others were watching him. “I couldn’t live with myself.” 

“ _I am coming to the Halls now so I can be with you_ ,” Plo reassured him. “ _Mace and Aayla are on their way as well, since the meeting was…uh, postponed after that news._ ”

Wolffe grinned. “ _Buir_ , you didn’t make them postpone the meeting for me, did you?”

“ _I’m not leaving you alone, Wolffe, and besides, we can’t do much more at the moment with the information we’ve got on hand. We’ll keep it quiet and wait for Skywalker and Echo to examine the, uh, objects…and then we’ll have a meeting to discuss where to go from there_.”

Wolffe just smiled warmly at the comm, even though he knew Plo couldn’t see it. He knew he was lucky to have a Jedi like Plo, a father in almost all sense of the word. 

“I’ll see you soon then, _Buir_.”

 

It was when Ponds, Bly and Wolffe safely had their chips removed and were in the recovery room with Tup, Cody and Rex, that Anakin showed up, skidding to a stop inside the room.

“Always making an entrance,” Windu spoke up from where he was sitting beside Ponds’s bunk. Anakin stared in disbelief at the six clones in bed, all of them sitting up, but reclined back on pillows. 

“He can’t help it,” Obi-Wan quipped back. “He likes to be dramatic.”

“Uh…I’m missing something here,” Anakin said slowly as he saw Aayla giggling next to Bly and he could feel the amusement radiating from Plo where he was sitting next to Wolffe.

“Oh, Skywalker is here,” Vokara said as she breezed into the room. “Did you bring your and Kenobi's medic like I asked?”

“Uh…they're coming?” Anakin said, still confused. “Kix was just doing one last round to check on our wounded before he passes it onto Puck to look after them.”

“How bad?” Obi-Wan asked gently.

“No losses, but some serious injuries,” Anakin responded, glancing at Rex, who straightened up, wanting to hear about his men. “Mostly some serious broken limbs, a couple of severe concussions and injuries from debris which will require some deep bacta treatment.” 

Obi-Wan nodded, squeezing Cody’s hand and catching Anakin’s gaze. Anakin smiled softly as he saw his friend smiling at Cody, adoration in his grey blue eyes, which Cody returned.

“It’s good to see you, Cody,” Anakin said finally. “We’ve all missed you.” 

“It’s good to be home,” Cody responded. 

“I told Ahsoka to go see her friends first, keeping her away just as you requested, Masters,” Anakin said, looking to Windu at that in particular. “But she won’t stay away for long, not since both Cody and Rex are here.”

“As soon as your medics and Echo get here, we’ll explain,” Plo spoke up finally. “Saves us having to repeat ourselves.”

“So I can’t ask why you’re all in bunks wearing the hospital pyjamas?”

“I thought they were a fashion statement,” Bly said wryly, making Anakin roll his eyes but gaining guffaws of laughter from his brothers. 

“They are pretty comfortable,” Tup added as he stretched out slightly before curling back under the soft blankets.

“You’re all weird,” Anakin just said in response, moving so he could sit in between Tup’s and Rex’s bunks. 

“They’re model patients, unlike you and your old Master there,” Vokara said from where she was leaning over Bly, checking the wound and his eyes. She nodded as she stepped back, content with Bly’s vitals. 

“Hey, I am a great patient,” Anakin argued before sinking back in his seat as Vokara shot a dark look in his direction.

“Who always messes with my droids,” Vokara growled. 

Kix, Helix and Echo chose that moment to show up, looking uncomfortable as they became the focus of everyone in the room.

“Pup!” Wolffe greeted warmly. Echo smiled before he quickly headed over to Wolffe’s side before frowning as he noticed the gauze on Wolffe’s temple.

“Wolffe, what is this?” Echo asked worriedly. “Are you okay?” 

“I’m all right, Pup, I promise,” Wolffe murmured, kissing Echo’s hand. 

“Why are we here?” Kix asked, brows furrowed as he looked at the different brothers in different recovery beds.

“Because while I was scanning Cody’s brain to make sure everything was functioning normally after being dosed with spice for so long, I came across something,” Vokara explained. “I scanned Rex’s and Tup’s head and found the exact same thing, so I removed them.”

“What did you find?” Anakin asked tentatively. Vokara pulled out a glass tube from her robes, holding it up so everyone could see it. Anakin stood up to get a closer look.  
“W-What is that?” he asked, though by the tone of his voice, Obi-Wan guessed Anakin already had his suspicions.

“That, young Skywalker, is a chip.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken a bit but work and RL have been a bit nuts!
> 
> However, I do have a week or so off work starting from next week while I recover from surgery, so there is a chance I could write more frequent chapters...
> 
> Also, with Vokara calling Mace and Yoda the 'old folks' ...I got that idea from Attack of the Clones, when Obi-Wan scrambled the call back to Coruscant, he told R4 to put it through 'care of the old folks home'


	13. The Truth of the Chips

Anakin stared at the vial, eerily calm, though Obi-Wan could see the storm brewing within Anakin’s blue eyes, could feel the anger emitting from him.

“Chips,” Anakin repeated, voice eerily flat. “Slave chips?”

Vokara hesitated, sensing the rising ire from Anakin. “That is pretty much the gist of them, yes.”

“Do they explode?” Anakin asked, voice shaking for the first time. All of the clones stiffened at that question.

“No, I couldn’t find a trace of explosive,” Vokara reassured him.

“Have we figured out what they do?”

“Not yet,” Vokara admitted, looking to Obi-Wan warily, unsure of how Anakin was going to react. “I have determined, with how the circuitry is within the chip, that if an order was activated it would override the clones’ thoughts and freewill, making them comply with that order without question.”

Anakin ran a shaking hand through his hair. “Slaves,” he choked out. 

“Skywalker,” Windu started to say carefully.

“THEY”D BE MINDLESS SLAVES!” Anakin exploded finally. “IT’S BAD ENOUGH THEY HAVE NO RIGHTS…BUT THIS…THIS IS SOMETHING SOME SICK, TWISTED _SLEEMOS_ WOULD DO!”

Obi-Wan looked up, startling as the glasses and vases on the bedside tables began to tremble.

“Skywalker,” Windu said once more, this time more firmly. “You need to calm down.”

“They’re slaves, Master Windu, and these chips would see their free right to choose gone!” 

“I know, Skywalker,” Windu reassured him. “This is why we’re getting rid of them.” 

Anakin snarled under his breath, fists clenching by his sides.

Someone had put chips in the clones’ heads, something that would override their thoughts and freewill. The clones already had so little for their own, but they could choose to fight against orders, particularly bad ones…but this would strip this away from them!

It would be like it was on Tatooine, to be broken to bend to their Master’s will, no fighting back. 

“Anakin!” Obi-Wan’s sharp voice cut through his thoughts, making him blink and look around. Obi-Wan was looking worriedly at Cody, who was pale and shaking in the bed. Kix had gone to Rex’s side, seeing that he had paled as well. 

Seeing the fear in Cody’s amber eyes directed at him made the anger flee Anakin immediately, and all of the glasses and vases stopped shaking. 

“Cody?” Obi-Wan asked worriedly.

“S-Sorry,” Cody whispered, looking down to the blankets. “Just…anger…I can’t…I can’t…”

“When someone was that angry it meant we were going to get hurt,” Rex spoke up, voice rough. “Cody usually copped it the worst from Tram. He got angry more often and took it out on Cody.” 

“Cody, Rex, I’m so sorry,” Anakin said, eyes wide. “I just…it gets me so _angry_ that someone would do this to you.” Anakin averted his eyes, sighing heavily. “I know what it’s like to have no freedom, to have a slave chip put into you without your will. I mean, mine would have blown me up…but yours would override your free will and-and I just -,” Anakin broke off, sighing. “I’m sorry to have gotten so angry, I didn’t mean to scare you…and I would _never_ hurt you guys, ever.” 

“We know, Anakin, we do,” Rex reassured him, glancing at Cody, who had burrowed himself into Obi-Wan’s arms. “It’s just…it was a long six months.” 

Anakin sighed, looking back to Windu, who had his face calm but still the sight made Anakin wince. 

“I get your anger, Skywalker, but we can’t give into it,” Windu just said calmly. “We are going to figure this out, but we need to remain calm.” 

Anakin nodded. “Sorry, Master.” 

“We get your anger, Skywalker,” Vokara said, patting his arm. “But stop upsetting my patients. You’re not too old for me to drag out by your ear – knight or not.” 

“Yes, Master Che,” Anakin mumbled, chastised. 

“So, how are we going to fix this?” Kix spoke up from where he was standing beside Rex, rubbing Rex’s shoulder comfortingly. 

“Anakin,” Windu spoke up once more. “We know you have some of the best tech skills in the Temple, especially when it comes to slicing and code-writing, I mean, we’ve all dealt with those droids you’ve repurposed to annoy us.”

Anakin grinned sheepishly at that. 

“So we want you and Echo to do your thing and get into the chip, so we can discover what its true purpose is,” Windu continued.

“You need to find a way to permanently deactivate it as well,” Vokara added. “We can’t do mass surgeries without alerting Dooku and whoever truly ordered the clones, so we need to find another way.”

“Dooku?” Anakin asked, confused. “What has he got to do with this?”

“Dooku was the one who hired Jango to be the clone template,” Obi-Wan explained. “Jango told Cody when he rescued him, that’s why he faked his death.”

“Jango rescued Cody?” Anakin blinked, before shaking his head. “Not important…but Dooku?! Why would he want to help the Republic?”

“There’s clearly something deeper going on here,” Windu said, “and we cannot allow them to discover that we know or it could force the mastermind behind this – who we believe to be the Sith Lord – to hurry their plans.” 

“Are we going to tell the Senate?” Echo asked curiously. 

“No!”

“Definitely not.”

Anakin and Windu both looked at each other, slightly surprised that they had spoken up at the same time. Windu winced suddenly, putting his hand to his head.

“Mace?” Ponds asked worriedly, leaning over in his bed so he could touch Windu’s shoulder.

“I’m all right, Ponds,” Windu reassured him. “There’s just a large shatterpoint and our decision will determine the future.”

“Well, that’s terrifying,” Wolffe muttered, pulling Echo closer to him. 

“I don’t trust the Senate,” Anakin added before frowning. “I don’t trust the Chancellor, not after he’s threatened Ponds and refused to rescue Cody and Rex…we all know there’s something not quite right.”

“You think he’s been compromised?” Aayla asked, surprised, before frowning thoughtfully. “It would make sense,” she said suddenly. “So many plans that only the Chancellor knew, yet the Separatists were able to surprise us.”

“Are you saying the Chancellor told them?” Vokara asked, shocked.

“Not necessarily,” Windu sighed, “but there could be a leak in his office and if he finds out that we know about the chips, he could either force us to stop – since we all know how he views the clones now – or the news gets leaked to the ones we didn’t want it to be leaked to.” 

“Dooku,” Anakin growled darkly. Windu nodded.

“Exactly.”

“So we keep it quiet then,” Helix spoke up finally, catching the others attention. “No one outside the Jedi Council, Healer Che and her senior Healers, and the clones within this room will know. We won’t tell our brothers, it will cause them to panic.” 

“I need you to contact the Chief Medical Officer in each battalion though,” Vokara added. “Not to tell them exactly, but tell them to keep a watch on their brothers, looking for symptoms that Tup displayed, as it will show a chance that their chip is deteriorating and we will need to have it removed immediately.”

“We can do that,” Helix agreed, looking to Kix. 

“If Anakin and Echo are going to test different methods to remove the chip, shouldn’t we get more, just in case?” Rex asked. Obi-Wan smiled sadly at him.

“You want it removed from Fives especially, don’t you?”

Rex nodded. “I just…I can’t lose him,” he said weakly. 

“That’s no problem,” Vokara reassured him. “It will allow me to show Kix and Helix the procedure, in case we need to move and get these chips out immediately, it’ll be better to have more hands versed in the procedure.” 

“So Ghost and Torrent Companies then?” Obi-Wan asked before looking to Ponds, Bly and Wolffe. “Perhaps the Pack as well? Bly, Ponds, any of your companies you want to take it out of immediately?”

Ponds looked to Windu, eyes meeting and conveying a small, unknown conversation, before Ponds sighed, shaking his head.

“I think that will be too suspicious at the moment,” Ponds murmured. “Especially since most of my brothers spend their time on Coruscant and mingle with the Coruscant Guard quite a lot.”

Obi-Wan nodded. “When Anakin and Echo figure out how to deactivate the chip, your brothers will be some of the first, don’t worry.” 

“Bly?” Aayla asked gently. 

“We’re due to go out again soon, Aayla,” Bly sighed. “We can’t have too many brothers laid up…and I don’t feel right just choosing a handful.” 

“If that is how you feel,” Aayla murmured, squeezing his hand reassuringly. 

“I want it out of the Pack’s heads,” Wolffe said, shaking his head. “I want to make sure _Buir_ will be safe around us.” 

Obi-Wan nodded, grey eyes thoughtful. “Okay, so we have Fives, Jesse, Hardcase, Echo, Kix, Helix, Waxer, Boil, Wooley, Crys, Boost, Sinker and Comet then?”

“I’ll wait until everyone is clear,” Kix sighed. “Should we bring Puck in on this as well?”

“Perhaps not yet,” Anakin said hesitantly, looking at Rex. “Puck is ship-bound, I doubt Puck will be on the top of the list to have his chip activated by whoever. I promise as soon as I have a way I’ll make sure his chip is deactivated.”

“I think we should still bring him in though,” Kix said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Another medic will help.”

“If you trust him, Kix, I don’t see why that would be an issue,” Windu spoke up, ending the argument. 

They discussed it a bit more, discussing when to tell the other men and what excuse to give to the GAR to cover their disappearance during their recovery. 

“We’ll say we’ve put them on Temple duty,” Windu shrugged. “We needed to rotate our usual guard and decided to use them, since they’re on Coruscant, also using the fact that it could help with Rex and Cody’s recovery and to help them settle back into routine.” Windu gave the two clones an apologetic look at that; Rex just smiled and nodded in return. 

“We’ll call them in,” Kix said, looking to Rex and Cody. “We’re their medics, we can get away with calling them in.”

“That would be most helpful, Kix, thank you,” Vokara said, before she turned to the clones in the recovery beds. “I am happy with how you’ve all recovered after the surgery,” she told them. “So I am happy for you to go recover in your own rooms, as long as you have someone with you.”

“Cody will be with me,” Obi-Wan spoke up, smiling at his beloved. 

“Wolffe and Bly can stay in my apartment,” Ponds spoke up, looking to the other two. 

“I’ll keep an eye on them,” Windu added, seeing Vokara’s slight worried look. “I can do paperwork in Ponds’s apartment.” 

“Tup can stay with me,” Rex said, smiling at his little brother.

“I’ll watch over them while I start studying the chip,” Anakin said. “You need someone who hasn’t had surgery to look after you, Rex.”

Rex snorted, “Usually I’m the one lookin’ after you.”

“He’s not wrong,” Windu muttered under his breath. Echo looked to Wolffe, who caught the longing gaze and smiled. He lifted Echo’s hand, kissing it gently. 

“I believe you’re on that list for surgery, Pup,” Wolffe murmured. “I’m sure Skywalker can handle the chips until you’re ready.”

“Absolutely, Echo,” agreed Anakin. “Get that thing out of your head and I’ll start looking into the chips.”

“I’ll stay in the Healer’s while Echo is getting his chip out,” Wolffe said, looking to Vokara, who nodded.

“Of course.”

“I’ll keep you company, my son,” Plo spoke up fondly. 

Anakin went to gather up the equipment needed to look at the chips and hurried off. 

Obi-Wan helped Cody to stand, smiling at him as he did so, before he assisted him in getting dressed into clothes that Jango had given him.

“Do you want Rex and Tup to come with us?” Obi-Wan asked him quietly as he buttoned up the soft cream shirt for Cody. Cody glanced over Obi-Wan’s shoulder at Tup and Rex, seeing Rex had pulled his civilian clothes back on and had gone to stand by Tup, who had pulled his blacks back on. 

“I-I just want to be with you for a little bit,” Cody murmured finally, looking back to Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan nodded in understanding. 

“Mace, can you take the vials to Skywalker?” Vokara asked as Ponds finished pulling on his shirt. Windu looked around from where he was talking to Aayla and Plo and nodded.

“Of course, I’ll drop it off with Rex and Tup,” he said, smiling slightly. “Aayla, are you coming?”

“Quinlan just messaged me, he wants to talk about something,” Aayla sighed, shaking her head slightly, her blue lekku bouncing with the movement. 

“Hey, no need to sound so put out, my old Padawan,” a teasing voice said from the doorway. Quinlan strutted in, grinning at them all. He paused by Rex and Tup suddenly, his cheerful expression faltering into a confused one as he looked them over.

“Vos?” Windu questioned warily.

“Quin, what is it?” Obi-Wan asked. 

“You feel different,” Quinlan finally answered, reaching out touch Tup’s arm hesitantly, surprising the young trooper. “What’s happened? I don’t feel so on edge around you anymore.”

“What do you mean?” Windu asked curiously. 

“I always have a weird feeling around the troopers,” Quinlan admitted. “I _know_ I should be able to trust them, they’re all good men, but something about them made me feel on edge…but I don’t feel on edge around these guys now.”

“How curious,” Plo said thoughtfully. Quinlan looked around at the clones, still frowning.

“What’s happened?” he asked once more.

“I will explain later, Quinlan,” Aayla promised after a look from Windu. “But they need to rest.”

“But…why…” Quinlan trailed off as he caught sight of Cody standing next to Obi-Wan. “Oh,” he murmured before smiling. “Good to see you back, Cody.”

“Thank you, Vos,” Cody replied, inclining his head. 

“Bly, I will come see you later,” Aayla promised, leaning in to kiss Bly’s cheek and making the clone blush deeply as he nervously looked to Quinlan, catching his raised eyebrows. 

“Aay-la,” Quinlan sang as she marched over to him. “Do you have something to tell me?”

“Yes, you’re irritating,” she replied as she grabbed his arm, pulling him from the room. The others could hear his laughter in response.

“Could it be he sensed the chips?” Plo asked suddenly, catching their attention. 

Obi-Wan frowned. “It’s possible,” he said thoughtfully. “His psychometry can be quite powerful sometimes, sensing things he isn’t aware of.”

“I thought it was all to do with touch,” Bly said, confused. 

“Not necessarily,” Windu answered. “That’s the strongest sense for him, in order to gain the feelings or a ‘look’ so to speak into a person or event, but psychometry can be fickle at times. It is possible that he sensed the chips with his psychometry bolstered by the Force, but he just didn’t know why he felt so uneasy.”

“That’s just confusing,” Wolffe grunted as he nuzzled into Echo’s neck.

“Well, that’s just Quinlan Vos,” Obi-Wan chuckled fondly. 

They all headed off after that, with Windu taking Rex and Tup to Rex’s apartment with a couple of the chips for Skywalker, with Ponds and Bly following so they could head to Ponds’s apartment afterwards. Plo stayed in the Healer’s wing with Wolffe while they waited for Echo, with Kix and Helix looking in on Echo’s procedure before they contacted Ghost, Torrent and the Pack. 

 

Obi-Wan walked back to his apartment with Cody by his side, constantly glancing at his beloved as Cody looked around, as though trying to take everything in to reassure himself that this was real and that he was in the Jedi Temple, safe and sound. 

The Jedi who they passed in the halls either paused momentarily, as they realised who Cody was, or they smiled as they passed, greeting them both happily. 

“Here we are,” Obi-Wan announced cheerfully as they came to his apartment. “Home sweet home.” 

Cody smiled weakly at him as Obi-Wan opened the door, gesturing for him to go inside. Cody stepped inside the familiar apartment, breathing in deeply and relaxing at the familiar sight and smell of the apartment. It smelt like Obi-Wan, smelt like the different teas he drank and something that was uniquely Obi-Wan’s scent. 

“Cody?” Obi-Wan murmured from behind him. Cody was suddenly aware of the tears trickling down his face and scrubbed at them furiously with his hand.

“Oh, _cyar’ika_ ,” Obi-Wan murmured, gently squeezing Cody’s hand. 

“Sorry,” Cody sobbed. “Gods, why am I so emotional?!” 

Obi-Wan hushed him as he ushered him over to sit on the couch. Cody looked at his hands, seeing the evidence of fallen tears upon them, the moisture shining across the back of his hand. 

“I never used to cry,” Cody said quietly. “I-I mean, after hard battles when emotions were running high and we were all exhausted, sure…but…not like this, not so often.” 

“It’s not a bad thing to cry, Cody,” Obi-Wan murmured as he gently rubbed Cody’s back. 

“We were bred to be stronger.”

Obi-Wan winced at Cody’s rough voice. He continued to rub Cody’s back, pressing against his side in reassurance. 

“It’s not a matter of what you were bred to be,” Obi-Wan said carefully, thinking out of what he was going to say. “You’ve been through something that not many people can say they’ve been through, you’ve been through horrors many can scarcely imagine – and I mean both on the battlefield and what you’ve just been through,” Obi-Wan explained. 

“I cried so much when Tram threatened Rex, when he hurt me,” Cody said hoarsely. “I-I should have been stronger…I-I should have…”

Obi-Wan gently murmured to him as Cody broke off, biting his lip hard. 

“He broke me,” Cody breathed out brokenly a few moments later.

“Oh, my love,” Obi-Wan whispered, carefully wrapping an arm around Cody so he could draw him close. “It will be okay. I will be with you every step of the way.”

“I just…I want to be strong again, Obi.”

“My love, you are one of the strongest people I know,” Obi-Wan told him firmly, but kept his voice soft. He smiled reassuringly at Cody as he reached up to wipe away a stray tear. “And crying is good, it’s healthy,” Obi-Wan said. “It helps to release the hurt, to release the emotion and make everything new again. It washes it all away. Never be ashamed to cry, my love, I think you are all the stronger for showing your emotions.”

Cody looked at Obi-Wan, his watery amber eyes meeting Obi-Wan’s loving grey eyes, before he broke down, falling against Obi-Wan and resting his head on Obi-Wan’s shoulder. Obi-Wan wrapped both of his arms around him, one hand stroking through Cody’s hair comfortingly as he kept the other arm wrapped firmly around Cody’s waist, grounding him and reassuring him that he was there.

“It will be okay, my love,” Obi-Wan murmured in his ear. “It will be okay.”

“I-I was so scared to come back,” Cody admitted, hiccuping slightly. “I thought you wouldn’t want me, not after he…he used me.”

“Cody,” Obi-Wan whispered, horrified, hand stilling momentarily in Cody’s hair. “I would never _ever_ leave you for that, I promise! I still love and adore you just as much as I did before you were taken – actually, I love you even more.”

“How?” Cody sobbed into his shoulder, disbelieving.

“Because I realised how easily I could lose you and I never want to lose you, my love. I couldn’t bear to lose you.” 

Cody sniffled slightly at that, sitting back so he could meet Obi-Wan’s grey eyes.

“Really?” he asked weakly. Obi-Wan smiled warmly at him, moving his hand so he could grab Cody’s and squeeze it gently. 

“Really,” promised Obi-Wan. “Do you remember that future we spoke of that night in my bunk?”

Cody nodded, smiling weakly. “I kept thinking of it,” he admitted quietly. “It helped me stay strong for you.”

Obi-Wan smiled at that. “Good, because it’s still going to happen. We’re going to be together, okay?” 

“Okay,” Cody said, voice watery. Obi-Wan settled against the couch and opened his arms once more. Cody smiled as he shifted closer, snuggling against Obi-Wan’s chest, sighing contently as he listened to his heartbeat under his ear. Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around him, one hand coming up to play with Cody’s hair.

“If you want to cry, Cody, I’ll be here to comfort you…but never be ashamed to cry,” Obi-Wan murmured to him. “It’s healthy to cry, to get your emotions out…it was something I learnt the hard way.”

“Really?”

“I cried over my Master’s body when he died in my arms, but I never grieved properly after that,” Obi-Wan admitted, before frowning slightly as he felt Cody stiffen in his arms. “Cody?”

“Sorry,” Cody mumbled. “I-It’s just Tram made me call him ‘Master’.”

“Did Tris make Rex call him that too?”

“Yes.”

“Okay,” Obi-Wan murmured, running his hand through Cody’s hair soothingly. “I won’t use that term if I can help it, but I might slip every now and again.”

“It’s okay, really,” Cody tried to insist. 

“If it makes you uncomfortable, Cody, I’m not going to use it,” Obi-Wan told him. “I want to help you recover and there will be a time where you hear that word and it won’t be so bad.”

“How do you know that?” Cody asked, though not unkindly. 

“Because Anakin went through the same thing after we brought him back from Tatooine,” Obi-Wan explained. “I didn’t push him to call me that title, not until he was comfortable, but some of his teachers weren’t so lenient.”

“What did he call you then?”

“Obi-Wan,” Obi-Wan chuckled. “Though I explained to him that that title didn’t mean the same, it only meant that I was his mentor and I was only here to help lead him through life, to teach him, and that it didn’t mean that I owned him.”

“That helped?”

“It did,” Obi-Wan said softly. “It took some time, but it helped him.”

“Rex had no problems calling Vokara ‘Master Che’,” Cody mumbled. “He’s always been the stronger one though.”

“You’re strong too, Cody, don’t doubt yourself,” Obi-Wan reassured him. “Others just react differently to different things, you know this. How many brothers have you seen react differently to being on the battlefield and facing different situations?”

“A lot,” Cody mumbled, looking up at Obi-Wan, seeing him smiling at him warmly. Obi-Wan gently tapped his nose. 

“So you know none of you are the same and you all react in different ways, that’s all it is,” Obi-Wan soothed him. “Rex struggles with some things now that he’s back as you will struggle as well, but you will both overcome it, I know you will.”

“What if we don’t?” Cody asked him hesitantly. “What if…what if I’m jumpy forever?”

“Then we learn to live around that,” Obi-Wan just replied calmly. “It doesn’t make you less of a being, Cody. Many beings live with PTSD and have anxieties from that, it doesn’t make them any less than what they were before. It just shows that they survived.”

Cody sighed, resting against Obi-Wan’s chest once more. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “I-I just…I’m scared.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for, my love,” Obi-Wan cooed softly. “I know it’s your anxiety talking, I’ve known and loved you long enough…but I will be here to help you through it.”

“As always,” Cody said, smiling against Obi-Wan’s chest before pressing a kiss against the tunic above his heart. Obi-Wan smiled as he felt the pressure of the kiss.

“As always,” Obi-Wan promised. 

They stayed there for a while, silent and content, as Obi-Wan gently stroked Cody’s hair as Cody listened to the reassuring thump-thump of Obi-Wan’s heartbeat. 

“Do you think Skywalker and Echo will be able to find a way to deactivate the chips without removing them?” Cody asked a little while later.

“I do believe they can,” Obi-Wan said confidently. “We all know how stubborn Anakin is, he won’t rest until he finds a way. You saw how he reacted when he found out what the chips did.”

“I wonder what they would make us do,” Cody said before shivering. “Vokara said they’d override our free-will, but I wonder what order would be so pressing that overriding our free-will would be the only way to achieve it?”

“I shudder to think of what that could be,” Obi-Wan said before sighing, “but I have a feeling we’re going to find out sooner rather than later.”

It fell quiet between them for a few more moments as they both imagined the horrors that could have been installed on that chip.

“So, you haven’t told me what the Council’s reaction was when you told them we were involved romantically,” Cody said a few moments later, trying to lighten to mood. Obi-Wan laughed at that.

“Mace put his head in his hands and asked _‘What is with your lineage?!’_ , I thought Yoda was going to beat him with his gimer stick,” Obi-Wan snorted. “Then Anakin dropped the bombshell that he was married and Plo announced that he was planning on officially adopting the Wolf Pack.”

“He is?” Cody asked quietly in awe.

“Yes, but don’t tell Wolffe and the others in case they don’t know,” Obi-Wan murmured. “I think Plo wants to tell them himself.” 

Cody nodded at that.

“The Council were shocked, but they agreed that you and Rex were still alive and they weren’t going to give up searching for you, though we would have to be careful about how we went about it as not to alert the Senate,” Obi-Wan continued. “The Council decided they were going to discuss the rule of Attachment and I decided to stay away from the Temple with your brothers, who needed me more.”

“So have they come to a decision about attachments?” Cody asked softly, hopefully. 

“They’ve settled on the ‘watch and see’ stage,” Obi-Wan sighed. “Especially since a few more of us have come forward with attachments, like Aayla and Bly and also Mace admitted he had an attachment with Ponds.”

Cody sat up at that, staring at Obi-Wan in shock. Obi-Wan chuckled, rubbing his thumb across Cody’s cheekbone.

“It’s true,” Obi-Wan reassured him. “He called Ponds his best friend and said he would risk everything to save him.”

“Huh,” Cody murmured as he settled back down on Obi-Wan’s chest. Obi-Wan immediately resuming stroking Cody’s hair. 

“Mace has never really had close friends,” Obi-Wan explained quietly. “Yes, he gets along with most of the Council and we can be classified as friends, but if we weren’t on the Council, we wouldn’t really have pushed to gotten to know him. So many Jedi treat him with great respect and trepidation because of his position and it’s isolated him from so many. Ponds has been good for him.”

“Would you have gotten to know him if he wasn’t on the Council?”

“Maybe, it’s hard to say,” Obi-Wan sighed. “He was around during my Padawan years to support me, especially with Qui-Gon, and he pushed Qui-Gon to send me to my Trials and was furious on my behalf when Qui-Gon told the Council I was ready for my Trials, when in fact he had told Mace two weeks previous that I wasn’t, just to take on a new Padawan.” 

Cody could hear the slight hurt in those words and snuggled in closer, trying to reassure him. 

“Mace was there for me after Qui-Gon was killed too,” Obi-Wan continued. “He was the one who cut my Padawan braid for me because Qui-Gon…couldn’t.” 

“I’m sorry, Obi,” Cody mumbled.

“Thank you, my love,” Obi-Wan said fondly. “But returning to the topic of attachment, it seems to be going well since the Council hasn’t outright rejected it; I mean, even Yoda seems positive about it. He was listing the benefits and changes it has made to Mace, Plo and myself when you called me to come and get you.”

“So we can have our happy ending, right?” Cody asked once more.

“Absolutely, Cody,” Obi-Wan promised. “Like I said, you’re stuck with me now because I will never let you go.”

Cody smiled at that warm, loving promise and sighed, relaxing against Obi-Wan. He felt warm and secure, comforted by Obi-Wan’s steady heartbeat and the feeling of his hand stroking his hair. Cody let his eyes drift shut, content.

He knew that Anakin and Echo would work on the chips and they’d find a way to save all of his brothers from the chips, then they’d work on finding who ordered them to be placed inside the clones’ brains. 

The war was going to end, Cody could _feel_ it.

Obi-Wan gave a small hum as he stroked Cody’s hair, lulling him to sleep. Cody snuggled closer, wrapping his arms around Obi-Wan to hold him close. 

He was home and he was safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's the one done :D
> 
> Might be a little bit until my next update, having surgery tomorrow and have to recover


	14. Reassurances

Anakin growled as he prodded at his datapad, trying to decipher what the code within the chip was. 

“Chip not playing nice, General?” Fives asked from where he was lazing on the couch. 

All of Torrent Company had converged in Rex’s apartment once their surgeries were done and Vokara had released them from medbay. Kix was frowning over his own datapad as he sent out messages to the other CMO’s of different battalions, telling them to notify him if they noticed any of their men with certain symptoms. Jesse was curled up on the floor next to Kix, head resting on Kix’s lap as he dozed. Hardcase was lying face down on the floor in front of the couch, snoring heavily as Tup used his back as a pillow, hands folded on his stomach as he dozed. 

Fives had claimed the couch, sprawled out upon as it as he watched Rex move around in the kitchen, while also keeping an eye on Echo and Anakin bent over datapads spread across the table. 

“It’s in a language I don’t recognize,” Anakin growled. “Echo, have you seen this before?”

Echo shook his head, sighing. “No, and I can’t seem to locate it anywhere.”

“So, where are Ghost Company staying while they heal?” Fives questioned, deciding to distract Anakin from the fact they hit a dead end for now when it came to deciphering the chips.

“Windu found them a spare apartment,” Anakin said absently before he sighed and leaned back in his chair. “It was too much to get them to squeeze in with Cody and Obi-Wan, especially since Cody wanted some space.”

Anakin frowned at that thought, looking to Rex, who was making some snacks for them all. 

“Rex,” Anakin spoke up hesitantly.

“Mm?” Rex asked, not looking up from where he was slicing roasted meat. 

“Do you want me to find the rest of Torrent an empty apartment nearby?” he asked. “I didn’t see if you were comfortable with everyone staying here.” 

Rex paused, looking up so he could gaze upon his brothers, most of them sprawled out and asleep. Tup opened an eye to look at Rex at that question, as Kix paused in his typing and Echo turned to look at Rex.

“I-I…” Rex broke off, shivering somewhat. He wanted his brothers close by, of course he did, but he didn’t want them to hear him screaming awake from a nightmare or see as he hid himself in the bathroom to hide his shakes and the fact that he was close to having a panic attack.

“We’ll stay in a nearby apartment,” Kix spoke up, saving Rex from answering. Kix finally looked up, meeting Rex’s gaze and giving a reassuring smile. “We don’t want to get in the way of Rex and Fives being together, but we’ll still be close by.” 

Rex gave Kix a thankful smile, breathing out evenly, heart calming as he didn’t have to find an answer or an excuse to give. 

“So, we can’t figure out exactly what the codes on the chips mean,” Echo started once more, “but do you have an idea of how to deactivate the chips?”

Anakin sighed heavily. “Not yet,” he muttered. “Maybe a frequency or a virus that we can emit by sound? I know it sounds odd…but there has to be a way to transmit something onto those chips to make them unable to send out their codes.” 

“It’s going to take a while to find the right frequency,” Echo agreed, “and then we have to figure out if the frequency will still work when its transmitted through the skull without it being distorted.” 

Anakin nodded in agreement as he finished sending off a message to Windu, requesting an apartment for Torrent Company. Windu had just sent back an affirmative and an apartment number when the door to Rex’s apartment opened.

“Rexy!” Ahsoka squealed as she darted over before skidding to a stop moments before she hugged him, hesitating. Rex just smiled sadly at her before he opened his arms, allowing the Togrutan to dart forward once more, hugging him tightly. 

Rex held Ahsoka close as she buried her face against his shoulder.

“Since when are you almost taller than me, little’un?” Rex asked surprised. 

“Went through two growth spurts when you weren’t here,” Ahsoka mumbled against his shoulder.

“She almost ate us out of the mess on the _Resolute_ ,” Fives teased. “We made sure our growing Togrutan sister was fed.” 

“You’ve got to stop growing, kid,” Rex chuckled as he let go of Ahsoka, keeping her at arm’s length so he could look her over. 

He had only seen her a couple of times since he had been back. She had tried to come and see him, but between his appointments and her lessons and deployments, there just hadn’t been time. He hadn’t had the chance to fully realise how much she had grown. 

“Well, I’ve got another growth spurt to grow according to Master Ti,” Ahsoka explained. “Height wise I’ve almost finished growing, but my montrals and lekku still have more growing to do.” 

“Too fast, kid, too fast,” Rex chuckled fondly. 

“Rex, we were grown twice as fast as her,” Kix spoke up matter-of-factly. 

“Yeah, but she’s our little Commander,” Rex retorted as he let go of Ahsoka, turning back to continue slicing the meat. “It’s different.” 

“Where’s Cody?” Ahsoka asked as she leaned against the bench, watching as Rex assembled different sandwiches. 

“With Obi-Wan,” Anakin responded, still frowning at the datapad in front of him. “You can see him later, but he just needs time to settle back in with Obi-Wan.” 

“So what are you guys all doing here then?” she asked, head tilting as she noticed all of the clones had small patches of gauze on their right temples. “What’s with the gauze?” 

“We can probably take those off soon,” Kix said thoughtfully. “The bacta will have done its job by now.”

“Skyguy?”

“Sit down, Snips,” Anakin sighed. “It’s a long story, but you cannot tell anyone outside of this room about it. If it gets out…well…”

“If it gets out, we’re all in trouble,” Fives finished, looking up at Rex as Rex carried a tray of sandwiches into the living area, setting it down on the table before he settled down to sit beside Fives. 

“You all right?” Fives murmured in Rex’s ear as Anakin started explaining about how they found the chips and what they were and who they believed was responsible for putting them in the clones. 

“Yeah,” Rex sighed, leaning against Fives’s side. Fives wrapped his arm around Rex’s waist, holding him close. 

“You look worried when Skywalker asked if you wanted the others to stay here,” Fives said quietly, hand gently rubbing Rex’s side. “Are you okay?”

Rex nodded. “Just…I just didn’t want them to see me after a nightmare or during a panic attack,” Rex mumbled. “It’s hard enough that you see it.

“ _Cyar’ika_ ,” Fives murmured, shocked. Rex just stared at his hands and Fives shifted closer to press a kiss against Rex’s cheek. “ _Cyar’ika_ , I don’t think any differently of you because I see the nightmares and the panic attacks,” Fives murmured in his ear. “I love you for you, no matter what we face.”

“ _Rayshe’a,_ ” Rex sighed, resting his head against Fives’s. Fives smiled as Rex used his Mando’a name.

“You were there for me when I thought I was going to lose Echo at the Citadel,” Fives continued. “You put up with me freaking out and constantly asking if Echo was okay. You put up with me not moving from Echo’s bacta tank, despite the duties I had to perform, you let me get away with it. Not to mention all the time you spent with me and Echo after Rishi, just making sure we were okay and reassuring us that the nightmares we had didn’t make us weak, that nightmares were a natural thing after a horrific event or battle.”

“Okay, okay,” Rex chuckled softly, turning his head so he could meet Fives’s gaze. Fives smiled at him as Rex reached up, fingers tracing Fives’s cheekbones, drifting over his small goatee, feeling the smooth hair before his fingers caught on the rough edges where Fives had just shaved to neaten up. 

“I’m here,” Fives whispered to him, taking Rex’s hand and pressing a kiss to it. “I’m here, Rex.” 

Rex nodded, closing his eyes as he listened to his other brothers waking up, all chattering and laughing as they ate. 

He was truly home. 

 

Later that night, Fives and Rex lay in bed. Fives’s hand drifted across Rex’s chest and he gave a sad chuckle.

“I didn’t realise how much I miss that soft patch of hair you used to have here,” Fives said before sitting up and drawing Rex’s legs across his lap. Rex watched him with interest. Fives ran his hands up Rex’s pyjama pant legs, feeling Rex’s smooth calves and gently massaging the muscle there.

Rex gave a small moan at the feeling, making Fives smile fondly. 

“No body hair, huh?” Fives asked quietly. Rex shook his head, relaxing as Fives continued to massage his legs. 

“Never again,” Rex sighed. “Some weird oil they used stopped it from growing back; apparently it was a permanent thing.”

“Well, at least you have the legs for it,” Fives teased gently. “Everyone is jealous of your muscled legs.”

Rex snorted at that, shaking his head once again. Fives moved his hands out of the bottom of Rex’s pyjama pants, instead lying beside him once more. Rex turned on his side so he could face Fives, seeing Fives smiling warmly at him. Rex smiled back tiredly.

“So, the others are in their apartment,” Fives continued. “Well, Echo went to stay with Wolffe, but the others are nearby.”

“I’m glad,” Rex murmured as he intertwined his fingers with Fives’s. “I’m glad the Jedi are keeping you safe and are trying to figure this chip thing out.”

“I’m grateful they’re keeping you protected,” Fives said quietly, reaching up to cup Rex’s cheek in his hand. “I couldn’t bear to lose you to the GAR, to see you reconditioned for no reason.”

“They’re good people,” Rex agreed. 

“When’s your next appointment with Bant?” 

“Two days,” Rex yawned, eyes starting to drift close. “Gotta tell Cody about Bant…tell him she’s trustworthy.”

“We’ll tell him, don’t worry,” Fives hushed him. “Cody’s home now, he’s safe…and so are you. Everything is going to be all right, Rex’ika.”

Rex smiled tiredly, shifting closer so he could rest his head on Fives’s chest. Fives wrapped his arm around him, holding him close.

“Night, Fives,” Rex mumbled sleepily.

“G’night, Rex.”

 

Obi-Wan smiled at Cody as Cody finished eating his dinner. Cody looked up, seeing Obi-Wan smiling at him and gave a weak smile back. 

“Enjoy that?” Obi-Wan asked as he took the empty plates. “Vokara warned me nothing too heavy for your stomach at the moment.”

“It was fine, Obi, really,” Cody insisted. Obi-Wan nodded as he returned to the table, sitting beside Cody once more. Cody had his head turned, looking out the window over Coruscant’s rushing traffic, watching as the sun finished sinking into the horizon.

“Cody?”

Cody blinked at Obi-Wan’s soft voice, but kept his eyes on the bustling Coruscant skies. 

“I just can’t believe I’m back,” Cody said quietly. “I just…I never thought I’d see the Coruscant sky again. I forgot how crazy it was.”

A gentle hand rested on his shoulder, squeezing softly. “It will take a while to get used to again, but you’re home now.”

“I know,” Cody sighed, sinking back so he was resting against Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan gently wrapped his arms around Cody, holding him upright. Cody sighed, relaxing in Obi-Wan’s warm, reassuring hold. 

Cody yawned, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

“Ready for bed, my love?” Obi-Wan asked fondly. Cody gave a small nod, shifting out of Obi-Wan’s arms so he could stand. Obi-Wan stood up behind him, offering his hand as Cody turned to face him. Cody took his hand and Obi-Wan led him towards the bedroom, flicking off the lights to the rest of the apartment as they went. 

Cody couldn’t help but smile as they walked into the bedroom. 

It was a familiar sight, one that held so many delightful memories. Memories of them cuddling and talking about their future, laughing and joking as they wrestled playfully upon the bed, to their more soft, intimate moments, filled with passion and love.

It still looked the same, with datapads and empty teacups on the desk under the window, a robe discarded on the end of the unmade bed. 

Obi-Wan let go of Cody’s hand to go digging through his drawers, pulling out a pair of sleep pants. 

“These should fit you,” Obi-Wan said. “I do need to ask the Quartermaster to get you some clothes for your own.”

Cody took the pants from Obi-Wan. 

“Did you want a shirt as well?” Obi-Wan asked. Cody shook his head.

“I-I think I’ll be okay,” Cody murmured. He glanced towards the bathroom and Obi-Wan smiled in understanding.

“I’ll be out here,” Obi-Wan reassured him. Cody gave a weak smile and nodded before he headed into the bathroom to get changed.

Obi-Wan sighed as he pulled off his own robes, getting changed into his own sleep pants, which were well loved and worn; the soft material thin from so many wears and washes.   
He did fell saddened by the fact that Cody wanted to get changed in the bathroom, out of sight. He understood the reason why, knowing that Cody would be body shy for a while. 

Cody finally came out of the bathroom as Obi-Wan settled into the bed. Obi-Wan smiled warmly at him, which Cody returned as he slowly got into the bed next to Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan turned to face him as Cody did the same, eyes meeting. 

“I’ve missed you so much,” Obi-Wan whispered, reaching up to gently stroke Cody’s cheek, fingers tracing Cody’s scar lightly. Cody closed his eyes, relishing Obi-Wan’s gentle touches. 

Cody’s eyes fluttered open, resting on Obi-Wan once more, filled with warmth. 

“I missed you too,” Cody murmured. “So, so much.” 

Obi-Wan’s fingers drifted down Cody’s face, down his neck, to rest on his arm. Obi-Wan frowned slightly before he sat up, startling Cody.

“Obi?”

“It’s okay, Cody,” Obi-Wan reassured him. “I-I just want to look over you, can I do that?”

Cody nodded, watching Obi-Wan as Obi-Wan drew back the blankets to bare Cody. 

“Tell me if you’re uncomfortable at all,” Obi-Wan murmured. Cody gave a nod. Obi-Wan settled on his knees beside Cody, smiling reassuringly at him. Obi-Wan lifted his hands, gently cupping Cody’s face, thumbs rubbing circles into his cheekbones softly. Obi-Wan let his hand drift softly, tracing Cody’s scar with one as the other went down to gently touch Cody’s soft lips. 

His hands softly continued exploring, finger tips barely touching Cody’s throat as he continued down.

“Okay?” Obi-Wan checked in.

“Mmhmm,” Cody hummed, feeling relaxed by Obi-Wan’s soft, gentle, loving ministrations. 

Obi-Wan’s hands drifted up Cody’s arm, spreading them slightly. He ran his hands back down the strong biceps, fingers tracing his bare, smooth underarms, which gained a small raised eyebrow. 

“I thought you would have grown your body hair back by now,” Obi-Wan murmured as his hands ran down Cody’s sides, feeling each small bump of his ribs as Cody breathed in and out deeply. 

“The Osirians put some sort of oil on me once they shaved me,” Cody explained quietly. “It made it so I can’t grow body hair again.”

“Ah,” Obi-Wan murmured. “I was wondering where your little trail had gone.” Obi-Wan ran a finger down Cody’s bare stomach, making him shiver at the tickling sensation. Obi-Wan shifted down to Cody’s legs, rolling the sleep pants up so he could run his hands up Cody’s calves before he shifted down to Cody’s feet, gently massaging them. Cody groaned softly as Obi-Wan’s hands pressed into the soles of his feet. 

“What are you doing?” Cody asked. 

“Massaging your feet?”

“I mean, besides that,” Cody explained. “Why did you want to touch me?”

Obi-Wan paused for a moment before he shifted back up so he could run his hands softly across Cody’s chest, coming to rest over Cody’s heart.

“Because I missed you,” Obi-Wan said softly. “I wanted to check you over, get reacquainted with you, with the man I adore more than anything.”

“You still want to touch me?”

“Always,” Obi-Wan whispered. “Can I kiss you?”

“Always.” 

Obi-Wan smiled, leaning down to kiss Cody’s lips softly. Cody sighed into the kiss, relaxing, as his hands came up to tangle within Obi-Wan’s copper hair. Obi-Wan pulled back, a soft smile on his lips. His smile faltered as Cody suddenly let go of his head, his amber eyes going blank.

“Cody?” Obi-Wan asked gently, touching Cody’s cheek. “What is wrong, my love?” 

“I can’t see how you can still want me,” Cody whispered.

“Cody –,” Obi-Wan tried to say before Cody interrupted him.

“No, Obi-Wan, w-what if I can’t be intimate again? I-I don’t know w-what will happen, I can’t get Tram out of my brain…I-I’m scared.”

“Shh,” Obi-Wan hushed him gently, pressing a kiss against Cody’s brow. “I don’t love you for your body - as gorgeous as it is - or for the sex, Cody,” Obi-Wan told him firmly. “I love you for this,” here Obi-Wan tapped his chest, just above his heart, “and for this.” Obi-Wan tapped Cody’s forehead.

“I love your beautiful heart and your sharp mind. I love your caring, funny, warm soul,” Obi-Wan smiled warmly. 

“But…”

“We’ll figure it out, my love,” Obi-Wan reassured him, running his hand through Cody’s hair reassuringly. “We’ll figure out what you’re comfortable with, but not now…for now, I just want you to focus on yourself.”

Obi-Wan settled on his side next to Cody once more. Cody turned over to face him again, taking Obi-Wan’s hands in his own, breathing out and trying to calm his errant thoughts. 

“Don’t feel anxious about things you can’t control, my love,” Obi-Wan murmured, squeezing Cody’s hands. “I love you, do you believe me?”

Cody looked up to search Obi-Wan’s grey eyes. He could see the adoration and pure love within those grey eyes, directed at him, and he smiled.

“Yeah, I believe you,” Cody whispered, shifting forward so he could rest his head against Obi-Wan’s chest. “I love you too.”

“In the next couple of days, a Mind Healer will be coming to talk to you,” Obi-Wan murmured. “It’s okay, Cody, it’s okay,” he reassured him as he felt Cody stiffen. “Rex has been seeing her since we got him back and it’s helped him.”

“W-What if they judge me?”

“Bant is the least judgmental person I know,” Obi-Wan soothed him. “I grew up with her, you know. She’s lovely. She was Kit Fisto’s Padawan actually.”

“You grew up with her?” Cody asked, relaxing slightly. Obi-Wan smiled, nodding.

“I did,” he chuckled. “She’s always been there for me too. She was there for me when I lost Qui-Gon, as difficult as I was for her – I refused to open up…it wasn’t until I met you that I felt comfortable opening up.”

Cody smiled, nuzzling against Obi-Wan’s chest. 

“I’m sure she will tell you all about the troublesome Initiate I was,” Obi-Wan chuckled as he soothingly ran his hand up and down Cody’s back. “Rex trusts her too. He’s been opening up a bit more.”

Cody nodded at that.

“Though that does remind me,” Obi-Wan murmured suddenly. “There is someone you need to comm tomorrow…only if you’re comfortable doing so, that is.”

Cody perched up, looking at Obi-Wan curiously. “Who?”

“Tali,” Obi-Wan told him. “She was so worried about you, as was Maia, Lila and Rami.”

“You met them?” Cody asked, shocked, as he sat up properly. Obi-Wan nodded as he sat up as well.

“Maia came to the estate after someone tipped her off that we were coming,” Obi-Wan explained. “She reassured the villagers and the guards that everything was okay, and she wrote up and signed a treaty so that the Separatist’s couldn’t use this to further the war.”

Cody stared in disbelief, making Obi-Wan smile fondly. 

“They were extremely worried about you when they heard…when they heard…” Obi-Wan trailed off, clearing his throat and looking away. “When I failed to get to you.”

Cody shifted forward, wrapping his arms around Obi-Wan and nuzzling into his neck.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Cody whispered into his neck. “It wasn’t your fault at all, Obi. Things were just out of our control.” 

Obi-Wan swallowed harshly, wrapping his arms around Cody and burying his face into Cody’s hair. 

“Tali made Rex promise to get you to comm her the moment you were safe,” Obi-Wan continued. “You seemed to have made an impression on her. She called you her brother actually.”

“She’s a good kid,” Cody murmured. 

“She’s lucky to have a brother like you then,” Obi-Wan smiled in Cody’s hair. 

“I didn’t even think of how the Senate would have reacted when they found out you went to a Separatist planet,” Cody said quietly.

“You have a lot on your mind,” Obi-Wan murmured back. “And, well, after Maia came up with that treaty, the Senate couldn’t really do anything...as annoyed as the Chancellor was,” he finished, subtly smug.

Cody nodded, yawning slightly against Obi-Wan’s neck.

“You’re tired, my love,” Obi-Wan said softly, gently moving them so they were lying down, with Cody snuggled upon his chest. “We’ll talk more in the morning, hmm?”

“Sounds good,” yawned Cody, wrapping his arm around Obi-Wan and snuggling in closer. 

“Sleep now, my _cyar’ika_ ,” Obi-Wan murmured. “I have you now, you’re safe.”

“Love you,” Cody mumbled sleepily. Lips pressed against his head.

“I love you too, Cody.”

Cody sighed, relaxing against Obi-Wan’s warm, strong body. 

Obi-Wan smiled softly as he felt Cody go lax against him, his breathing evening out. He gently ran his fingers through Cody’s hair, reassuring himself that Cody was truly there and in his arms.

He knew there was still a long way to go and he knew something elusive was out there, something dark and troublesome…but he knew they’d face it when it came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, sorry it took a little while...but was recovering from surgery and I couldn't sit with my laptop with my knee being as tender as it was! 
> 
> Also was just trying to get thoughts in order for this. I have ideas of how I want it to proceed, but it's just the fun part trying to get them in the right spot so it doesn't seem rushed or disjointed


	15. Comforts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Wolffe and Echo I bumped the rating up to an E to be safe ;)

Tup lay staring up at the ceiling as he lay in bed in the apartment the Jedi had given to Torrent Company to use. Kix and Jesse had taken one of the rooms while Hardcase had claimed the couch, stating he didn’t want to wake up with a mouthful of Tup’s hair. 

Tup hadn’t argued with him, happy to sleep without Hardcase snoring in his ear. He was struggling to sleep though as he stared at the ceiling, watching the shadows flicker across it caused by Coruscant’s never ending traffic and sleepless nights. He could hear Kix’s and Jesse’s muffled laughter and muffled voices coming from the room next door and sighed. 

Seeing Fives reunited with Rex, Obi-Wan reunited with Cody, and then there was Wolffe and Echo, and Kix and Jesse being all cute together…it made him feel alone. 

He missed that feeling, of having someone to cuddle with, to laugh with, to see the adoration and love in their eyes as they looked at you…he missed it so much. 

Tup rolled onto his side, pulling his hands in to tuck under the pillow as he stared at the window, the blinds mostly shuttered, but still allowing in some of the light from outside.  
He knew what he was feeling, what his heart was aching from.

He missed Jek. 

Tup knew that he shouldn’t miss him, and that Jek had only been hired to get close to him…but his heart told him that Jek had been telling the truth when he told Tup that he loved him. He had seen the truth shining in his eyes, begging Tup to believe him. Tup pulled out the scarf from where he had hidden it under his pillow, gently running his hand over the soft blue material. 

He truly did miss Jek, missed the laughter and how Jek always tried to show him new things, whether it was with food or with experiences, and he was never frustrated when Tup was hesitant or cautious about certain things, knowing that Tup wasn’t used to having certain freedoms. Jek was always soft and gentle with him, going slowly for Tup’s benefit, to make sure he was comfortable and felt safe. 

Tup closed his eyes as he heard Kix’s muffled laughter through the walls before he sighed once more, turning onto his back again to watch the shadows dance across the ceiling. He wound the scarf around one of his hands before resting his hands on his bare stomach, feeling the softness of the material there, somewhat comforting, before he closed his eyes.

Maybe…maybe it was time to go and see Jek and properly talk about what had happened.

And maybe Tup would know if there was the slightest chance that their relationship could be rekindled.

 

Echo shivered as Wolffe nipped at his neck, wrapping his arms around Wolffe’s neck and pulling Wolffe’s strong bulk down on top of himself. Wolffe paused from where he was nipping at Echo’s neck, pulling back slightly so he could meet Echo’s slightly dazed look. 

“You okay there, Pup?” Wolffe murmured, feeling the heat of Echo’s bare skin pressed against his. Echo nodded, grinning weakly at him. Wolffe chuckled as Echo thrust weakly against him and bent down once more, biting down on the skin upon Echo’s heart. Echo muffled his moan against Wolffe’s shoulder, knowing that Ponds was just in the next room- thankfully Bly had snuck off to go spend the night with Aayla, but he still didn’t want Ponds to hear or they’d never hear the end of it. 

Wolffe shifted suddenly, rolling them both over so Echo was lying upon Wolffe’s chest now. Echo felt his face heating as he thought of the position they were in now.  
Both were naked – with Wolffe having taken great pleasure in stripping Echo of his clothes – and were lying flush, chest against chest. 

He still couldn’t believe that this was actually happening, seeing Wolffe’s grin aimed at him, his one golden eye fond and dark with lust, as he rubbed at Echo’s hips with his thumbs. 

If someone had told him, before the whole Rishi moon debacle, before he had become an ARC Trooper, that he would be in a relationship with one of the most fiercest Clone Commanders, that it was an actual relationship, he would have snorted and brushed it off. 

He didn’t believe then that he was anything special, that he wouldn’t catch anyone’s eye…or he’d annoy them enough with his bouts of rambling that they would leave.  
Hevy liked to rib him with that fact whenever they didn’t get along, which was often. It had led to quite a few fist fights with him actually. 

“What’s that big brain of yours thinking of?” Wolffe asked softly, reaching a hand up to run it through Echo’s hair. Echo blinked, focusing back on Wolffe, who was smiling at him fondly.

“Just us,” Echo admitted, causing Wolffe to raise an eyebrow.

“Oh?”

“Just thinking that if anyone had told me that I’d be in a relationship, with a Commander, well…with you actually, I would have thought they were mad,” Echo smiled sadly. “I-I never thought I’d actually meet anyone, you know…everyone always said I was too weird or by the book.”

“Who said that?” Wolffe asked, a low growl in his voice. 

“One of my original squadmates: Hevy,” Echo explained quietly. “We…we didn’t get along. He was all push forward and throw himself into danger and I tried to go by my orders. We got into a fair few fights, some physical, which got us punished.”

Wolffe winced as he ran his hand through Echo’s hair again soothingly. Echo turned his head to press a kiss to Wolffe’s palm. 

“Little did he know you’d become an ARC Trooper,” Wolffe chuckled before turning serious. “Just because you do your best to follow orders didn’t give him the right to make fun of you. I know you, I know you’d be willing to compromise and deviate to get the job done, but there is a limit to that, isn’t there?”

Echo nodded. “I’ll deviate from my orders to save my life and the life of others if I know a plan would get us killed, but I’m not going to disregard orders to rush headfirst into a battle when I had been ordered to do something else.”

“That’s what makes you the best kind of soldier there is, Pup,” Wolffe murmured. Echo smiled, leaning down to kiss Wolffe. 

“As for no one ever loving you, he was seriously wrong on that one too,” Wolffe told Echo. “I do love you and that big brain of yours.”

“Even when I ramble?” Echo mumbled shyly.

“Especially then, Pup,” Wolffe reassured him. “Your squadmate was wrong.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I did care for him and I do miss him…but I don’t miss his teasing,” Echo said quietly. “Cutup and I always copped it the worst, though I always had Fives in my corner.”

“Cutup, huh?”

“Had a weird accent,” Echo snorted. “Have no idea where he picked that one up from.” 

Wolffe ran his hands down Echo’s sides, gently pressing on the bite marks he had left on Echo’s sides the last time they had been together. 

“They’re almost healed,” Echo murmured as he shivered under Wolffe’s hands. Echo gave a small snort. “Never thought I’d like being marked up so much.”

“Oh really?” Wolffe purred. “Should I mark you more then, Pup?”

“Please,” Echo breathed pleadingly. Wolffe rolled them both over again, pinning Echo under him. Echo just smiled up at him, golden-brown eyes alight. 

“So where should I start first, my gorgeous Pup?” Wolffe purred lowly. “Your neck?” Here, Wolffe leaned down to nip teasingly at Echo’s exposed neck. “Maybe your chest, above your heart? Your soft belly?” Wolffe nipped each place he listed, getting down lower. He smirked as he noticed Echo’s breathing getting deeper, his pupils blown out as he watched Wolffe drift down lower.

“How about your delightful thighs?” Wolffe asked, nails raking against the soft skin of Echo’s inner thighs. Wolffe paused for a moment before he leaned in and bit softly into the skin, sucking marks into the soft skin.

He truly did love Echo’s thighs, especially when they trembled under his touch. 

Echo muffled a moan behind his hand, not wanting Ponds to hear. 

Wolffe pulled back once he was satisfied with the marks he had left on the inners of Echo’s thighs. He smirked as he saw how excited Echo had gotten from just his small nips and bites. 

“Excited, my Pup?” Wolffe purred, hand drifting up to rub at Echo’s cock. Echo’s eyes flew open at that and he lunged up and forward, pinning Wolffe to the bed. Wolffe grinned in delight as Echo straddled him, eyes full blown with lust now. Echo grinned slyly at him as he leaned down to bite at Wolffe’s neck. Wolffe gave a low moan, eyes rolling back at the sensation before he gasped as a tight heat suddenly encased his cock. He opened his eyes, looking at Echo who was smiling coyly at him.

“Cheeky Pup,” Wolffe chuckled, running his hands up Echo’s sides. He kept a grip on Echo’s hips as Echo started to shift, a small moan escaping his lips. Echo leaned down, burying his face in Wolffe’s neck as Wolffe thrust into him.

“Gods, Wolffe,” Echo moaned into Wolffe’s neck.

“Gorgeous Pup,” Wolffe crooned into Echo’s ear. 

They murmured loving words to each other, hands roaming upon the other, touching as much as the hot bare skin as they could. 

They lay besides each other afterwards, once they had cleaned up, with Wolffe holding Echo close, but still leaving enough space so he could see Echo’s face. He had asked Echo about the chips once they had calmed and Echo had immediately started explaining how they found a language they had never seen before launching into a description of the circuitry and ideas of how it could be interrupted without surgery.

Wolffe just watched Echo’s face closely, smiling, as Echo rambled on. He could barely understand half of the technical and scientific terms Echo was using but he didn’t care – he just loved seeing Echo getting so into a topic.

Echo suddenly paused, looking at Wolffe sheepishly. “I was rambling, wasn’t I?” he asked quietly.

Wolffe squeezed him and smiled warmly at him. “You were, Pup, but I love it,” Wolffe reassured him. “Don’t be ashamed of it, Echo, I love hearing you speak about stuff you love, even if I don’t understand half of it…so never be ashamed of it.” 

Echo smiled as he snuggled in closer to Wolffe, resting his head on his shoulder. 

“Thanks, _cyare_.”

Wolffe smiled at Echo’s soft murmur as he gently rubbed Echo’s back. He honestly couldn’t think of a life without Echo now. 

Wolffe paused at that thought, looking at the top of Echo’s head in contemplation. 

He would hold onto that thought for now. It was still too soon. 

Wolffe hugged Echo closer as he let his eyes slip close, smiling sleepily as he felt Echo kiss his chest. 

He wouldn’t ask him now…but he would ask him soon. 

 

Ponds hummed as he walked into the main area of his apartment, stretching out. He was going to get Echo and Wolffe and then they were all going to go to breakfast at Rex’s. He walked over to Wolffe’s temporary room and opened the door.

“Hey, Wolf’ika, time to…oh bloody hell!” Ponds exclaimed, shaking his head in annoyance. Wolffe and Echo were both in bed, the sheet tucked up around Echo’s waist, but it seemed Wolffe had gotten too warm during the night and had shifted the sheets off of himself, leaving himself bare to the world. Ponds had just gotten an eyeful of his _shebs._

“Wolffe, cover yourself up and stop mooning me,” Ponds grumbled, crossing his arms. Wolffe just grinned sleepily from where he was looking over his shoulder as Echo snorted in laughter. Wolffe didn’t move to cover himself up, not caring that his bare ass was on display to Ponds. 

Ponds had seen it all growing up anyway. 

“Wolffe…wait, is that a bite mark?” Ponds suddenly giggled, spotting a freshly bruising bite mark on Wolffe’s left butt cheek.

“Echo got excited,” Wolffe answered with a shrug as he rolled over, covering himself with the sheet. 

“Great, you both have oral fixations,” Ponds sighed. “Echo, you’re meant to be the sensible one.”

“He is,” Wolffe insisted before grinning. “Just not in bed.” 

Ponds groaned, shaking his head as he covered his eyes, hearing Wolffe’s and Echo’s laughter.

“This is my apartment, remember,” Ponds growled.

“Ah, don’t be jealous, Pon’ika,” Wolffe said, rolling his eyes as he sat up. “I know you and your right hand have a close relationship, but it wouldn’t hurt to look elsewhere to get your rocks off, ya know? I mean, there is someone in the Temple who I’m sure you like…stern, wears Jedi robes, is bald -”

“- Get up and get dressed,” Ponds just groaned, cutting Wolffe off. “Rex has invited us for breakfast.”

“Want to share a shower, Pup?” he heard Wolffe asked. 

He quickly hightailed it out of there before he heard a reply. 

Ponds frowned as he leaned against the table, thinking about what Wolffe had said. He and Mace were friends that was it!

Ponds looked towards the door of Wolffe’s room, sighing. He did like Mace, well, it was more of a crush, but he knew that Mace wouldn’t feel the same way or wouldn’t want those feelings to develop into something more.

He was content just having Mace as a friend for now anyway. He didn’t really have a high sex drive like some of his brothers – namely Wolffe. 

Ponds just raised an eyebrow at Wolffe and Echo as they finally emerged from Wolffe’s room, giggling together. 

“You two are grossly adorable and it’s sickening,” Ponds told them, before grinning. “Honestly, Wolffe, who thought you could be all gross and cuddly?”

“Ah, you’re just jealous, _ori’vod_ ,” Wolffe grumbled.

“Still gross.”

Echo just laughed quietly to himself as the two brothers bickered and teased each other as they walked to Rex’s apartment. 

 

Obi-Wan quietly crept out of bed in the morning, smiling at Cody’s sleeping, peaceful face as he pulled on one of his loose tunic shirts. He was happy to just let Cody sleep, knowing he would need to rest. 

He quietly left the bedroom, closing the door partway in case Cody needed him, and headed towards the kitchen to make breakfast.

Contrary to popular belief, he did know how to cook. Sure, he couldn’t cook gourmet food, but he could cook some eggs, bacon and toast without burning it. He turned on the caf machine, knowing Cody would want some when he woke up, before he turned to get breakfast ready. 

He was halfway through cooking breakfast when the door opened. He looked up and smiled as Ahsoka peered inside.

“Good Morning, Ahsoka,” Obi-Wan greeted softly. 

“Good Morning, Master Obi-Wan,” Ahsoka returned, glancing around. “Where’s Cody?”

“Still asleep,” Obi-Wan said with a smile, glancing towards the bedroom, reaching out with the Force to check on Cody. He nodded, content, when he found Cody was sleeping soundly. “Oh, and, Ahsoka, please drop calling me ‘Master’ for a while,” he added. “It makes Cody, and probably Rex, uncomfortable.”

Ahsoka frowned for a moment but nodded as she settled herself down on one of the stools by the bench. 

“Did they have to call their captors Master?” she questioned quietly. Obi-Wan gave a small nod.

“You’re very perceptive, Padawan,” he praised, smiling softly. “Did you want some breakfast?”

“No, thank you, Rex invited me over for breakfast but I thought I’d come see Cody first.”

Obi-Wan nodded in understanding before smiling. “Well, I believe he has just woken up,” Obi-Wan said softly before looking at Ahsoka. “Just be careful with him, hmm? Take things slowly.”

Ahsoka nodded, looking towards the bedroom door as Cody came out, rubbing his eyes tiredly. 

“Good morning, love,” Obi-Wan greeted, smiling warmly at him. Cody smiled back tiredly as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

“Morning,” he yawned before he paused, seeing Ahsoka sitting there. “Hello, Ahsoka.”

Ahsoka smiled as she stood up. “Hey, Cody. It’s good to see you back.”

Cody nodded, looking to Obi-Wan once more. “It’s good to be back,” he said softly. “I-I almost didn’t believe it when I woke up this morning.”

“C-Can I hug you?” Ahsoka asked hesitantly. Cody smiled and gave a nod, opening his arms. Ahsoka immediately darted forward, wrapping her arms around Cody’s chest. Cody wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly back. 

“Missed you,” Ahsoka mumbled into his shoulder. “Obi-Wan was so upset and we were so worried about you.”

“I missed you too, ‘Soka,” Cody smiled fondly. “I missed seeing you and Rex spar and seeing you throw Rex on his _shebs_.”

Ahsoka giggled at that as she let Cody go. 

“I just came to see how you were and tell you I missed you,” Ahsoka said, glancing at Obi-Wan, “and that I’ll be around if you ever need to talk or want a sparring partner.”

“Well, I do have more to teach you so you can continue wiping the mats with Rex,” Cody teased lightly. “But thank you, ‘Soka.”

“Well, I’m going to have breakfast with the boys,” she chirped. “Do you have much planned for today?”

“We need to get Cody some clothes but other than that,” Obi-Wan shrugged. “It’s up to him.”

Cody smiled weakly at Obi-Wan as Ahsoka hugged him once more before she flittered from the apartment.

“She’s sweet,” Obi-Wan chuckled. “She definitely does not get that from Anakin.”

Cody chuckled as he leaned against the bench, watching as Obi-Wan cooked. 

“No, she definitely doesn’t,” he agreed. “Need a hand?”

“If you want to set the table, I won’t argue with that,” Obi-Wan said. “I’ve almost finished cooking here.”

Cody nodded, making his way around the apartment with ease to grab the necessary cutlery. He paused as he set the table, smiling to himself.

He hadn’t forgotten where everything was in Obi-Wan’s apartment. 

“There’s also caf here too,” Obi-Wan’s voice broke through his thoughts.

“I’m okay,” Cody said, gaining a startled look from Obi-Wan.

“My Cody, the one who can’t function without a cup of caf in the morning, is refusing his precious nectar of life?” Obi-Wan gasped theatrically, making Cody laugh softly. Cody had called it that once after a sleepless few days and Obi-Wan had never let it go. 

“It’s not something they gave me on Osiris,” Cody admitted as Obi-Wan carried their plates over, settling down in front of him. Obi-Wan pretended he didn’t see the slight flinch Cody gave as Obi-Wan’s arm reached across him, though inwardly it hurt him to see. 

“I guess I got used to not having it after seventh months,” Cody finished. Obi-Wan slowly reached out, making sure Cody saw his movements and gently took Cody’s hand, squeezing it reassuringly. 

“Well, if you don’t want caf, would you like some juice?” he asked, gaining a small smile and a nod from Cody. Obi-Wan quickly got up to pour them both some juice – his tea could wait – before he came back over. Cody took the juice from him gratefully. 

They both ate in comfortable silence, with Cody glancing out the window at Coruscant, watching the morning traffic zoom around the skies. 

“Enjoying the view, my darling?” Obi-Wan’s voice asked gently and Cody nodded. The rising sun was shining off the different buildings, the glare of it almost making the buildings invisible, while the sky’s colour changed from a purple-pink colour to a pink-orange colour. 

“Did you want to do anything today, Cody?” Obi-Wan asked. “We could see your brothers or we could stay here or go for a walk around the Temple? We do need to see the Quartermaster today though.”

Cody nodded. “Quartermaster and then seeing my brothers?” Cody asked, looking to Obi-Wan, who smiled and nodded. 

“That’s perfect, my love.”

“But before we go,” Cody started slowly. “I-I think I want to call Tali myself to tell her I’m okay.”

“Of course, Cody,” Obi-Wan said, nodding. “Why don’t you have a nice, relaxing shower and get dressed while I tidy up and get the comm ready?”

“I can help clean up,” Cody started before Obi-Wan shook his head, smiling.

“It’s fine, my darling, go on now.” 

Cody smiled weakly at him before he got up and headed to the bathroom. 

By the time he had come back out again, Obi-Wan had cleaned up and had gotten dressed for the day and was setting up the comm on the table when Cody walked back in. 

“Everything is ready, _cyar’ika_ ,” Obi-Wan told Cody as Cody came to sit down. “Would you like me to leave?”

Cody shook his head, taking Obi-Wan’s hand. “Stay, please.”

Obi-Wan nodded. “I’ll just be making some tea then if you need me.”

Cody nodded, taking in a breath before he activated the comm. It chimed for a moment before it activated, a blue holo forming. Cody smiled as he recognized the figure.

“Tali,” he greeted softly. 

“ _Cody!_ ” came the excited reply. “ _You’re okay! We were so worried about you! Are you okay now? Are you back with your Jedi and Rex and your brothers?_ ”

Cody went to answer when four new figures suddenly appeared in the holo. _“Did I hear you say Cody?_ ” Maia asked before she gasped. “ _Oh, it is! Cody, are you okay?_ ”

“I’m okay,” he reassured them, smiling at them all. “I was rescued and I’m back with my brothers and the Jedi now.” 

“ _And Tram?_ ” Maia asked gently.

“Dead,” Cody informed them. “My rescuer killed him in order to save me. I’m not sure what Tatooine natives do to dead bodies, but I’m pretty sure he’s gone.”

“ _Good_ ,” Darl said with a firm nod. “ _Hope they left him out to be eaten by a krayt dragon. Are you eating, honey? You’re looking a bit skinnier._ ”

Cody glanced up at Obi-Wan, seeing him leaning against the bench, cup of tea in hand as he smiled. 

“My Jedi is making sure I eat,” Cody reassured them. “Apparently Rex’s baking skills have gotten quite well known within the Jedi Temple and between our brothers, Darl.”

Darl laughed softly. “ _He is a good boy, very talented._ ”

“ _Yeah, Echo said Rex had been baking_ ,” Rami piped up suddenly, causing the others to look at him in surprise.

“ _You never told us that_ ,” Lila said gently. Rami gave a small shrug in reply. 

“ _We’ve only messaged each other a few times,_ ” Rami said quietly. “ _I like him._ ”

“He is a good man,” Cody smiled.

Maia turned her attention back to Cody. “ _Are you truly okay, sweet-heart?_ ” she asked gently. 

“I don’t know,” Cody admitted before looking back to Obi-Wan, “but I think I will be.”

“ _Well, if you ever need to get away, you’re always welcome in our home, sweet-heart, though…though I understand if you never want to step foot on Osiris again,_ ” Maia said gently. 

“ _But…_ ” Tali said, eyes wide. “ _But we’re going to see you again, right, Cody?_ ”

“I’m going to be in the Jedi Temple for a while, Tali,” Cody explained gently. “There’s a chance that the GAR might try to take me to have me reconditioned or decommissioned, so the Jedi are keeping me safe. I don’t think I’ll get back to Osiris any time soon…but we’ll see each other again, _vod’ika_ , I promise.” 

“ _Okay_ ,” Tali said quietly. They spoke for a bit more and when Obi-Wan saw Cody starting to look uncomfortable, he quickly ducked in.

“Sorry to interrupt,” he said, smiling warmly at them, “but Cody has an appointment with the Healers.”

“ _Oh, of course, Obi-Wan,_ ” Maia said before looking back at Cody. “ _If you ever need to talk, sweet-heart, never hesitate to call._ ”

“Thank you, Maia,” Cody said before hesitating. “I really appreciate you all for being there for Rex and myself. You made things a little more bearable and made us feel safe.”

“ _I only wish we could have gotten you rescued a lot sooner, Cody,_ ” Maia said before she gave a sly smile. “ _Oh, and I thought you’d want to know that Urit is no longer Mayor. Isidali is quite upset with that, losing all that wealth and jewels._ ”

Cody smirked slightly. “Thank you, Maia.”

They said their goodbyes and cut the call. Obi-Wan squeezed Cody’s shoulder as Cody leaned back in the chair, trembling somewhat.

“Perhaps calling wasn’t such a good idea,” Obi-Wan murmured, feeling Cody’s trembling.

“No, I needed to do it,” Cody whispered. “I needed to do it.”

Obi-Wan nodded, gently squeezing Cody’s shoulder once more before he crouched beside him.

“I’m proud of you, my love,” Obi-Wan told him sincerely. “You’ve been so strong, so brave.”

“I don’t feel it,” Cody murmured. Obi-Wan smiled sadly as he took Cody’s hand. He frowned as the door chimed and sighed as he stood up to answer it.

“Feemor,” Obi-Wan greeted. Cody looked up at that. He had never heard that name before.

“Obi-Wan, I was wondering where you were,” a male voice said. “You didn’t show up for breakfast like we had planned.”

Cody frowned at that, his eyes widening as a male Jedi walked into the room, pausing as he caught sight of Cody. Cody stared back, taking in the white streaked blond hair and the light blue eyes.

He had never met or even heard of this Jedi before! Had…had Obi-Wan been moving on from him? 

Cody felt his stomach twist anxiously as that thought crossed his mind. Obi-Wan had told him he loved him…he wouldn’t have lied about that would he?

“Feemor, this is Cody,” Obi-Wan introduced, though he frowned as he felt anxiety coming from Cody. “Cody, this is Feemor, my brother-Padawan.”

Cody froze at that, blinking. “What?” 

Immediately understanding crossed Obi-Wan’s face and he crossed the room, crouching beside Cody. “Oh, darling,” Obi-Wan murmured sadly, gently stroking Cody’s face. “Feemor was Qui-Gon’s first Padawan.”

“You never spoke about him before,” Cody said quietly. Obi-Wan looked to Feemor and Feemor’s heart broke at the sadness in Obi-Wan’s eyes.

“I stayed away,” Feemor started to explain. “When Qui-Gon’s second Padawan, Xanatos, turned to the Dark Side, he refuted all of his Padawans – meaning Xanatos and myself.”  
Cody looked up, meeting Feemor’s eyes once more and Feemor winced at the almost empty amber eyes.

“I hid myself away, joined the exploration and archival team to get away from the Temple, I was so hurt by Qui-Gon’s decision, that he just pushed me away and refused to speak to me again,” Feemor continued. “Then I heard he took a new Padawan, Obi-Wan, and I knew he was over me, that I meant nothing to him, so I stayed away.” Feemor sighed heavily. “I recently found out what a huge mistake that was, how much my brother needed me, needed support.”

“Rex found out about my early Padawan years,” Obi-Wan took over, “and decided to dig up Feemor from the Archival levels to help me because I was struggling so much without you, worrying about you.”

Cody blinked, looking at Obi-Wan. 

“You’re the only I love, Cody, I promise you that,” Obi-Wan whispered.

“He struggled a lot with you being out there,” Feemor confirmed. “I just came to make sure he ate and left his room, made sure he took breaks from spending hours poring over datapads trying to find you.”

Cody smiled weakly before giving a small sob.

How could he have doubted Obi-Wan, his _cyar’ika_?

“I’ll leave you two be,” Feemor’s voice said softly. “I am glad you’re back, Cody, my brother truly loves you and I’m glad he’s found someone.”

Obi-Wan stood up, pulling Cody into his arms and holding him close.

“Oh, my love,” he murmured.

“I’m sorry!” Cody sobbed, clinging onto Obi-Wan’s robes tightly. “I-I know you love me but-but…” Cody broke off.

“It’s okay, my love,” Obi-Wan soothed. “It was your anxiety talking, I know, Cody, I know.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Cody whispered into Obi-Wan’s shoulder.

“Cody, my love, it’s okay,” Obi-Wan reassured him. “I promise, it’s all right.”

Obi-Wan detached Cody from him so he could wipe away Cody’s tears.

“Look at me, my darling,” Obi-Wan said, smiling when Cody’s amber eyes did meet his. “I love you and only you, but I know after everything trust is going to be hard and your anxiety will be surfacing a lot more – but we will get through it together, like we always do, right?”

Cody smiled weakly, giving a small sniffle. “Right,” he agreed, before he shifted closer, resting his head against Obi-Wan’s once more. “I love you, Ob’ika,” Cody murmured. “I-I just…it doesn’t feel real sometimes, that someone as amazing you actually loves me.”

“Oh, Cody.”

“I love you, _cyar’ika_.”

“I love you too, dearest,” Obi-Wan replied before pulling back. Cody smiled weakly at him once more before he scrubbed at his face, wiping away the traces of tears. “Now, why don’t we sit down for a while before we go to the Quartermasters, hmm?”

Cody nodded in agreement and they sat down, Cody immediately curling into Obi-Wan’s side. Obi-Wan wrapped his arm around him and pulled him close, murmuring loving words in his ears.

Cody calmed his breathing, feeling reassured in Obi-Wan’s arms.

He knew that out of everything in the Galaxy, Obi-Wan’s love was something he never needed to doubt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of wanted a softer chapter with different view points


	16. Love and Loss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Suicide in this chapter (not a main character)

Obi-Wan pulled away once Cody had calmed, smiling warmly at him.

“Are you ready to go, my dear?” he asked gently. Cody nodded and stood up, stretching as Obi-Wan stood as well. Cody went to head towards the door but Obi-Wan paused, frowning slightly.

“Where are your shoes, love?” Obi-Wan asked gently, though Cody froze anyway, looking at his bare feet.

“Oh, right,” Cody murmured, quickly heading back into the bedroom and pulling on the shoes that Jango had given him. Obi-Wan was looking worriedly at him as he emerged from the bedroom. Cody rubbed the back of his neck, unsure.

“I never got to wear shoes unless we were going out…and even then we didn’t always get shoes,” Cody admitted quietly. Obi-Wan stepped up to take Cody’s hand.

“We’ll get you some nice soft shoes to wear around the Temple,” Obi-Wan reassured him. “You don’t need these boots,” he tried to joke, lifting his own leg slightly to show off his calve hugging brown leather boots.

Cody gave a fond smile. “I like your boots,” he said, looking up to meet Obi-Wan’s gaze. “They make your legs look fantastic.”

Obi-Wan blushed and gently swatted Cody’s arm.

“Flatterer,” he teased. Cody smiled at that, pulling Obi-Wan in to hug him closely. Obi-Wan breathed out as he wrapped his arms around Cody, holding him close. 

“Thank you,” Cody murmured in his ear.

"For what, dear one?”

“Just being you.”

“Oh, my love,” Obi-Wan sighed, nuzzling into Cody’s neck. Cody pressed a kiss against Obi-Wan’s temple.

“I just didn’t know how people were going to treat me after I came back,” Cody continued quietly. “I thought they’d tip-toe around me as though I would break, but you haven’t done that. You’re more careful with your movements when it comes to touching me, but you’re still touching me…and I’m grateful.”

“Oh, Cody,” Obi-Wan whispered, pulling back so he could put his hand on Cody’s cheek gently. Cody leaned his head into Obi-Wan’s hand, amber eyes meeting grey.

“You’re not made of glass, darling, you’re not going to break,” Obi-Wan told him gently. “You’re hurt and it will take time to recover, but treating you like you’re going to shatter isn’t going to help you.”

Cody shifted forward so he could rest his forehead against Obi-Wan’s, breathing in deeply and contently.

Obi-Wan and Cody left their apartment after that, heading towards the Quartermaster’s. They walked close together, hands brushing against one another’s as they walked down the hallways, being greeted by passing Jedi. Obi-Wan glanced at Cody, seeing he was examining the halls they walked down, taking in the large atriums they passed through.

“Everything okay, Cody?” Obi-Wan asked. Cody nodded, still looking around.

“Yes, just never got the time to really study the Temple before,” Cody admitted. Obi-Wan nodded as he looked up at the high roof of the atrium they walked through, seeing the carvings on the beams from their Jedi Ancestors. 

“It is quite beautiful,” Obi-Wan agreed as they walked into another hallway. They finally stopped outside of a door and Obi-Wan opened it, stepping inside and smiling reassuringly at Cody over his shoulder as Cody followed closely. 

“Master Skimble?” Obi-Wan called out as they approached a desk. An older Jedi walked out of a side room, dark brown eyes narrowing as he caught sight of Obi-Wan standing there. Cody examined him, taking in the ginger hair peppered with grey, and the deep laugh lines around the sharp eyes.

“You didn’t lose another robe again, did you, Obi-Wan?” Skimble asked him sternly. “I’m about ready to make you patch up your own robes!”

Obi-Wan held up his hands and shook his head sheepishly.

“No, Master Skimble, my robes are all fine, I promise,” Obi-Wan said quickly, hearing Cody snort quietly behind him. Cody had, more often than not, picked up his discarded robes on the battlefield to give back to him later. 

“I’m actually here because Cody needs some clothes,” Obi-Wan continued. Skimble turned his brown eyes to Cody and smiled.

“Ah, another one of our beloved troopers,” Skimble chuckled before sighing. “I’m afraid I don’t have anything that would classify as civilian left to fit him. I’ve already given out the clothes to the other two clones who are staying in the Temple and also lost a few good clothing items when I dispensed them for undercover missions.”

“Is there anything that could fit him?” Obi-Wan asked, glancing at Cody who was fidgeting nervously. Obi-Wan placed his hand on Cody’s back, smiling reassuringly at him. “Oh, and also some sturdy but soft shoes for Temple wear as well?”

“Shoes are no issue at all,” Skimble reassured them, looking at Cody’s feet for a moment in consideration before nodding and turning to go digging in a box. He pulled out a couple of pairs of shoes, examining them for a moment before he nodded to himself once more, content. 

“So, we have these slip on shoes,” Skimble explained as he set them down. “This pair is fully covered, made with soft, breathable material on top with a sturdy base.” 

Cody looked at the covered shoes. They looked rather nice, just plain black with a silver trim and white base.

“Try them on,” Skimble encouraged him, smiling. Cody sat down on a nearby chair, slipping off the shoes Jango had given him and pulling on the new shoes. They fit snugly around his ankles, ensuring his feet wouldn’t slip out when he walked, and the shoes felt comfortable around his feet. 

“What do you think?” Obi-Wan asked as he gently stroked the back of Cody’s neck.

“T-They really comfortable, thank you,” Cody said almost shyly, looking up at Skimble, who smiled broadly at him. 

“Now, I also have these sandals as well,” Skimble continued, tapping the black synthleather shoes on the table. “Open toed, but they’d be good for just around the apartment or walking around the Room of A Thousand Fountains.”

“T-This is too much,” Cody murmured. 

“Nonsense, dear boy,” Skimble hushed him. “You need a few pairs of shoes to have…and it’s no trouble of all providing clothes and shoes to the men who keep our Jedi out of trouble, especially this one,” Skimble added with a sly grin, nodding at Obi-Wan. “I also hear you’re the one to thank for stopping Obi-Wan losing so many robes.”

Cody ducked his head at the praise and Skimble exchanged a sad smile with Obi-Wan.

“Now, as for clothes,” Skimble said suddenly, turning back around and disappearing into a neighbouring room. 

“They’re nice shoes,” Obi-Wan said softly as he continued to stroke the back of Cody’s neck, feeling the short bristly hairs there. “And you deserve them too, _cyare_ ,” he added, seeing the look on Cody’s face. “They’ll be nicer to walk around the Temple with instead of these clunky boots, but hang on to the boots as well. They might come in handy.” 

“Here we are,” Skimble said, coming out with an armful of clothes. “Now, I don’t have any civilian clothes, but I do have a lot of under tunics, which could serve as a shirt for you,” Skimble explained, holding on up. Cody recognized the under tunic, having seen Obi-Wan wear just that after he had taken off his outer robes or just to wander around his apartment in. 

“Nice and loose, but fully covers everything,” Skimble continued as he lay down the shirt. “Now, pants wise, I do only have the flowy Jedi pants like Obi-Wan here wears, though he tends to get them more form fitting.”

Cody glanced down at Obi-Wan’s legs, smiling somewhat at Obi-Wan’s splutter. 

“Though I only have one in a dark colour, the others are white which I don’t think will suit you,” Skimble continued.

“I can get some blacks to wear,” Cody said with a shrug. “They’re the clothes that the GAR gives us,” he added, seeing Skimble’s confused look. 

“I know you’re used to them,” Skimble said slowly, carefully, “but perhaps not the best to walk around the Temple in?”

“I’ll talk to Boil and see if he can wrangle you some,” Obi-Wan told Cody, “but I’m also going to contact Senator Amidala and ask if she could find you and Rex some clothes as well.”

“But…but…I don’t want to be a bother,” Cody said finally, looking away. 

“You’re not, dear one,” Obi-Wan reassured him. “Padme will love to go shopping to get you some clothes, ask Tup how much she enjoyed towing him around different stores to buy him different outfits,” Obi-Wan finished with a chuckle. Cody smiled weakly as Skimble folded up the single pair of dark pants and a few of the under tunics. He placed the sandals on top of the pile before he walked over and handed it over to Obi-Wan, who took it while smiling thankfully at him. 

“Thank you, Skimble,” Obi-Wan said, glancing at Cody. “I am most grateful for this.”

Skimble waved away his thanks, smiling.

“Anything to help these brave boys,” Skimble said, gently laying a hand on Cody’s head. Cody looked up, seeing Skimble’s warm smile aimed at him and gave a weak smile in return. Skimble patted his head once more before he shuffled off.

“Come on, my love,” Obi-Wan said softly. Cody stood up, wearing his new shoes, as he lifted up his old boots. “We’ll go put these back in the apartment and then we’ll figure out what we’re going to do for the rest of the day.”

Cody nodded in agreement and they headed back to the apartment. 

They made it back to the apartment to find Rex and Fives standing outside of the door, both of them leaning against the wall as they chatted to one another.

“Rex, Fives,” Cody greeted, smiling. Rex handed off a plate to Fives before he stepped forward, pulling Cody into a tight hug. Cody hugged him back, resting his head against Rex’s shoulder.

“How are you, _ori’vod_?” Rex murmured in Cody’s ear.

“Still in disbelief,” Cody admitted quietly. “I-I can’t believe it’s over.” Rex nodded in understanding as he stepped back, smiling reassuringly at Cody.

“It gets easier,” Rex reassured him softly. “It takes little while, but it gets easier to believe.”

“Shall we step inside, gentlemen?” Obi-Wan asked, eyebrow raised as he smiled at them. The other three nodded and Obi-Wan opened the door, stepping inside. He went to place Cody’s new clothes and shoes in the bedroom before he returned, seeing Fives had set the plate on the bench in the kitchen. 

“You two were out early,” Rex said as he sat down on the couch next to Cody.

“We went to the Quartermaster’s,” Cody explained with a small shrug. “I needed clothes.”

“Ah, I went to see him when I first got here too,” Rex said with a small smile. “Odd fellow.”

“Speaking of clothes,” Obi-Wan said thoughtfully as he reached for his comm. “I need to contact Padme.” 

Cody sighed, giving a nod in agreement, before leaning back.

It would be nice to have clothes other than what the Jedi wore, though he still felt like wasn’t worth the trouble. 

Obi-Wan gave him a look, as though he knew what Cody was thinking, before turning his attention back to the comm. 

“ _Hello?_ ”

“Padme, it’s Obi-Wan.”

“ _Oh, Obi-Wan, how are you?_ ” Padme’s voice asked. “ _Anakin told me you found Cody! I’m so happy for you! How is he? Is he okay?_ ”

Rex grinned fondly as he looked to Cody’s at Padme’s rapid fire, concerned questions. Cody was looking surprised as he stared at Obi-Wan. 

“I’m fine and Cody…” Obi-Wan paused for a moment, meeting Cody’s eyes and giving a small smile. “Cody is being so strong and doing well.”

Rex gently nudged Cody at that, smiling proudly at him. Cody just looked away, a lump in his throat.

“Actually, I was wondering if I could ask you for a favour?”

“ _Anything, Obi-Wan._ ”

“Cody is staying in the Temple, along with Rex and Ponds, for the time being and we did go to the Quartermasters this morning, but unfortunately he did not have many clothes in Cody’s size,” Obi-Wan began to explain. He didn’t get the chance to finish before Padme quickly responded.

“ _Oh, I’ll be happy to get him some clothes!_ ” Padme said quickly and rather enthusiastically, making Cody pale slightly. “ _What sort of clothes were you thinking?_ ”

“Comfortable but functional,” Obi-Wan responded. “Cody, dearest, any preferences in colour or style?” 

“Not really,” Cody said slowly. “Just pants and different shirts would be nice.”

Obi-Wan smiled. “I’ll leave the colour and styles up to your expertise, Padme, but don’t go over the top,” he begged. “This is just for Temple wear.”

“ _I won’t_ ,” Padme promised. “ _I’ve got a few different styles in mind that I think he’ll like and feel comfortable in._ ”

“Let me know how I can repay you,” Obi-Wan said.

“ _Don’t be ridiculous, Kenobi,_ ” Padme said firmly. “ _It’s my pleasure to buy some clothes for Cody – Stars know they all deserve to have everyday clothes to wear._ ”

“Thank you, Padme, I am truly grateful.”

“ _Look after him, Obi-Wan_ ,” Padme said softly in reply. “ _I’ll drop off the clothes tomorrow._ ”

They said their goodbyes and Obi-Wan tucked his commlink away, smiling warmly at Cody. Obi-Wan settled on the couch on Cody’s free side and Cody immediately leaned into his arms. Rex smiled encouragingly at Obi-Wan over Cody’s head as Obi-Wan lifted his hand to gently stroke at Cody’s hair, his fingers tracing over his surgery site.

Thanks to Vokara using the bacta quickly and with some Force healing, the clones had all been left without scars, or in the case there was a trace of them, they looked like old, very faded scars that were near impossible to see.

Obi-Wan could tell though, he could feel a slightly difference in the feel of Cody’s skin.

“Hey, Codes,” Rex said suddenly, meeting Obi-Wan’s gaze. “Have you gotten an appointment with the Mind Healer yet?”

Cody shook his head, hesitating. 

“Don’t feel ashamed, _ori’vod_ ,” Rex soothed, knowing exactly what Cody was thinking. “Bant is really great, she doesn’t push you to speak and she won’t force you to speak about things that you uncomfortable.”

Cody gave a small nod, eyes fixed on his hands. “I-I’ll give it a go.”

Rex smiled at Obi-Wan in relief. Obi-Wan nodded at him thankfully. 

“I hear you’ve been keeping busy, _vod’ika_ ,” Cody said suddenly, looking up and meeting Rex’s eyes.

“Oh?” Rex asked in confusion. 

“I met Obi-Wan’s brother-Padawan this morning,” Cody explained. “Apparently you have been meddling again, little brother.”

Rex gave a sheepish grin. “Obi-Wan needed someone and I know having brothers by your side helps,” Rex said quietly, glancing at Fives, who smiled reassuringly at him. “When I got back on the _Resolute_ after Osiris, I found out a new medic had transferred into the 501st,” Rex explained, voice quiet. “It was my last batchmate; Puck.” 

Cody blinked. “I’m sorry? What?”

“Puck heard about us,” Rex said. “The 501st were involved in a battle that required them to go to the medstation where Puck was stationed. H-He heard what was happening to us and transferred to the 501st to be there for my brothers until I was rescued.”

“Huh,” Cody murmured, leaning back into Obi-Wan’s hug. 

“And Feemor is a good guy,” Rex said. “He’s been making sure your _cyare_ eats and leaves his room so Windu doesn’t have to drag him out.”

Cody nodded.

“So, want to go make Torrent and Ghost run around the training salles and bark orders at them?” Rex asked, grinning. Cody gave a small snort. 

“Jesse and Boil have headed back to the barracks to check on the others and give orders to the heads of squads, but everyone else is here,” Fives said. “Echo is holed up with Skywalker in Rex’s apartment, trying to hack into the chip.”

“I think that sounds like a plan,” Obi-Wan said, smiling. “What do you think, dearest?”

Cody nodded, though he wasn’t sure about the whole ‘barking orders’ thing. He didn’t feel like he could do that anymore. 

He didn’t feel like a Commander anymore.

“Do you think Vokara would be angry if we run around?” Cody asked hesitantly.

“As long as you don’t overdo it, I think she’ll be happy to see you up and about with your brothers,” Obi-Wan reassured him. Cody nodded, smiling.

“It’ll be good to run around with them.”

“Then let’s go, dear one.”

 

Windu growled under his breath as he received the message from the Chancellor. The Chancellor was pushing for the Jedi to deal with different situations, as though he was baiting them to act.

Well, if he wanted them to act, then the Jedi would act. 

Windu glanced at his datapad, where he had written up a rough draft of a motion to the Senate on behalf of the Jedi and clone troopers. He would need help to fine tune it though, to strengthen his argument so that Senate couldn’t take the troopers away from them. 

He couldn’t bear to lose them.

Windu frowned thoughtfully. He knew Skywalker was married to a Senator, who was the most headstrong, stubborn Senator that he knew and that Kenobi was friends with another Senator. 

Perhaps they would be willing to help him write up a proposal to present to the Senate. 

 

Ponds hummed as he checked over his datapad, looking at the new videos sent. He frowned as one suddenly popped on his screen, the title gaining his attention. Ponds opened the message, glancing at the thumbnail of the video momentarily, seeing two smiling and laughing _vode_ before he noticed the message from the brother who sent it. 

Ponds’s golden eyes widened and he quickly scrambled for his comm.

“Monnk!” Ponds barked into the comm as soon as it was answered. “You need to get to Trigger now!” 

He could hear Monnk, Fisto’s Commander, darting through the halls of the ship he was on, yelling for brothers to get out of his way. Ponds eyes drifted over to the datapad again, reading the message once more.

 

_This video is of my **riduur** , Aurora, named for the bright lights in the sky. He was the light in my life. _

_This video was taken before our last battle when Aurora was killed and died in my arms._

_I wanted you to see this video, to share it, to show the Republic of the unnecessary loss of life…that this war is taking away the ones we love…and we already have so little in our life to make us happy._

_Tell Monnk and General Fisto I’m sorry. I know they’ll be there for me. Fisto came to me as soon as the battle was done and he had heard about Aurora…but I just can’t do it._

_I can’t live without him, I’m going to go join my **riduur**._

 

Ponds looked back to the comm at a gasp and a curse.

“Monnk?” Ponds questioned quietly, already knowing the answer.

“ _He’s gone_ ,” Monnk responded, voice breaking. “ _Other brothers heard the blaster shot…he’s gone._ ”

“I’m sorry, Monnk,” Ponds whispered. 

“ _How did you know, Ponds?_ ”

“He sent me a video and a message,” Ponds explained quietly. 

“ _Oh, Force, no!_ ” Ponds winced at Kit’s shattered voice. “ _Oh, dear Trigger._ ” 

“ _He wanted to join Aurora, boss,_ ” Monnk’s voice said quietly. “ _Ponds, thanks for trying to warn us…but Trigger had made up his mind._ ”

“I’m sorry,” Ponds said once more. “H-He wrote in his message to tell you and General Fisto he was sorry and that he knew you were there for him, but he just couldn’t live without Aurora.”

“ _Thank you, Ponds._ ”

Ponds leaned back as he disconnected the comm. He leaned forward, burying his face into his hands. 

He couldn’t help the small sobs that broke free.

It always hurt to lose a brother, more so in a situation like this, knowing that a brother felt so heartbroken that he just couldn’t live anymore. 

A hand rested on his shoulder.

“Ponds?” Windu’s voice asked gently. “What has happened?”

Ponds pulled his face out his hands as he scrubbed at his face. He took in a shaky breath as he looked around the Room of a Thousand Fountains. Ponds couldn’t find the words so he just handed the datapad to Windu, who took it.

“Oh,” Windu murmured a few moments later. Ponds nodded in agreement.

“We were too late,” Ponds said hoarsely. “We didn’t get to him in time.”

A heavy hand rested on Ponds’s shoulder comfortingly. “I am sorry, Ponds.”

“How do you think the Republic will act if we show them this video?” Ponds asked quietly. “What will the GAR do if they realise we’re in relationships with each other?”

“You may look similar but you are different to one another, Ponds,” Windu answered quietly. “I wish I could show the Republic how we see you, how different you all shine in the Force.”

Ponds looked at the datapad, seeing the two laughing faces in the thumbnail, seeing the adoration in their eyes as they looked at one another. 

“Can I play the video?” Windu asked. Ponds nodded. He watched as Windu played the video. 

 

_A grinning face appeared in the screen. Trigger looked like a **vod** with the sharp cheekbones and golden eyes, but the lip piercing and blond tipped hair set him apart._

_“Okay, so here we are,” Trigger sang, grinning. “We’re on our way to…wait, where are we off to this time, Aurora?”_

_Another face appeared in the screen as Trigger collapsed onto a bunk. Aurora had bright hair, dyed in greens, blues and purples, his dark green eyes sparkling fondly as Trigger snuggled in close._

_“I believe we’re off to another small planet which requires our help,” Aurora answered. Trigger rolled over so he could press a kiss against Aurora’s star tattooed cheek._

_“So, in case you missed it, this is Aurora,” Trigger said, looking back to the camera. “He is the love of my life and my **riduur**. Want to explain what **riduur** means to the Galaxy, love?”_

_Aurora chuckled at Trigger’s antics. “ **Riduur** is a Mandalorian word which means ‘Spouse’,” Aurora explained. “Trigger here proposed to me as soon as we got off of Kamino and we took our marriage vows.”_

_“Even though it’s not legally recognized, I don’t care,” Trigger smirked. “I know you are my husband, babe.”_

_“You better,” Aurora teased. “I still remember that sappy smile on your face, tough guy.”_

_“Hey, I got the best looking **vod** with a mischievous streak…I’m damn lucky,” Trigger retorted, shifting around so he snuggling closer to Aurora._

_“So, why are you making this video, Trig?” Aurora asked, amused, as he pressed a kiss against Trigger’s forehead, running his hand through Trigger’s hair._

_“So I can show the Republic that we’re human,” Trigger said. “We fall in love and want to get married and have a future together. I want to show we have hearts and souls, despite what the propaganda paints us as.”_

_“Oh, **cyar’ika** ,” Aurora whispered, nuzzling against Trigger’s forehead. “You have the most loving heart I know.”_

_Trigger smiled fondly, kissing Aurora’s cheek once more._

_“So this is my husband everyone and we’re about to get ready for our next battle so we can get it over and done with.”_

_“Yes, you still owe me a date when we’re back on Coruscant,” Aurora teased. “I’m thinking fancy food and then a nice walk.”_

_“Anything for you, love,” Trigger chuckled. “A great dinner, a nice walk, maybe we can finish getting our rings tattooed?”_

_Aurora held up a hand, showing an intricate blue and green band, lined with thin, delicate black lining, tattooed around his ring finger._

_“What’s left on it?” Aurora asked._

_“Our initials,” Trigger answered, tapping on Aurora’s tattoo. “Right here.”_

_“So, A & T?”_

_“Yep, then everyone will know that we belong to each other,” Trigger answered._

_“I love you, you sap,” Aurora murmured fondly, “but we need to get prepared.”_

_“Yes!” Trigger grinned as he sat up. “Let’s get this done with so we can get back to Coruscant, huh? Or do you think we beg General Fisto to make a detour to a nice beach planet? He can go swimming while we have our date on the beach with cocktails and nice food.”_

_“Ask him after the battle,” Aurora laughed._

_“Deal,” Trigger said before turning his attention back to the camera. “So, Republic, I know some of you might think this is weird…but to us we aren’t identical, we’re all different to one another, and yes, we fall in love. We live, we fight and we die together…so we fall in love with each other too. Aurora is the love of my life and I really hope you see this, because I want to get married for real one day, to have Aurora recognized as my partner.”_

_“Oh love,” Aurora’s voice whispered. Trigger smiled back at them._

_“So, that’s all for now, Republic,” Trigger said. “This is Aurora, my husband and love of my life, and he is the world to me…and we will never let each other go, despite what the GAR or Senate may say.”_

 

Windu looked at Ponds, who was staring at the screen sadly. 

“They were soul-mates,” Ponds murmured. “They were lucky to have each other.”

“They were,” Windu agreed quietly. “How about we sit on this video for a day or so? I want to talk to Senators Amidala and Organa about a proposal we’re giving to the Senate, perhaps they can give their opinion about this as well.”

“We’re going to hide it?” Ponds asked, somewhat bitterly.

“That’s not my intention, Ponds,” Windu reassured him. “We will show this to honour Trigger and Aurora, but I fear that without taking over of the clones care from the GAR and Senate that couples may be punished and that’s something we can’t allow.”

Ponds nodded in agreement. 

“I also want to discuss the video with Kit, just so he knows about it as well.”

Ponds nodded again, sighing heavily. Windu wrapped his arm around Ponds, drawing him close. 

“Things are going to change, Ponds,” Windu swore. “No more _riduurs_ broken apart or separated…no more reconditioning or decommissioning. We’re going to make sure you’re taken care of with your mental and physical health.”

“You do so much for us, Mace,” Ponds said quietly, chuckling sadly. “So much.”

“And you deserve every bit of it,” Windu told him firmly. “You deserve the right to choose whether or not to fight without being killed or punished for it. You deserve to choose your own life.”

Windu looked at Ponds as Ponds nodded silently. He knew how much this had shaken him. Windu had seen how Ponds had struggled – and he had struggled himself – when they had lost men to self-inflicted wounds as they found themselves unable to cope with the horror of war and the loss of their batchmates, their best friends and their lovers. 

It was mostly the newer Shinies, being thrown into this war so unprepared and younger than ever…and it hurt them to see such young lives, so full of promise, being cut so short. 

Windu had also had to deal with a few young Jedi Knights taking their own lives, unable to cope with the death and the pain and the darkness.

It never got easier…and in a way, he hoped it never would get easier. He never wanted to be desensitized to death, to just accept it as a day to day happening. He never wanted to become used to death.

Windu knew things had to be changed and he was determined to do it, screw the Senate. He was going to fight tooth and nail for these men, for the Jedi being forced to fight wars, to live and fight alongside men who would more than likely die beside them. 

It was time for things to change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I've thought of something, one hell of a twist...but I'm not sure how you will take it...


	17. Advice

Obi-Wan chuckled as he watched Cody and Rex ran around the training salle, laughing along with their brothers. Wolffe and his pack were there, laughing as kept on the heels of Ghost and Torrent Company. 

He glanced to his side as someone stopped beside him, seeing Plo standing there, feeling serene in the Force as he watched his sons chase after their brothers. 

“It’s good to see them all laughing again,” Plo said quietly. Obi-Wan nodded in agreement, eyes focused on Cody’s grin as he joked around with Rex, teasing Boil and Waxer. 

“Come, let’s sit here,” Plo said suddenly, shifting towards one of the benches, where they could sit and still keep an eye on their boys but still be out of the way. They settled down, leaning back against the wall.

“How is Cody going?” Plo asked quietly, turning his head to look at Obi-Wan. “I know he’s only been back two days, but how is he?”

“He’s trying to be strong,” Obi-Wan admitted quietly. “I think he still struggles to believe that he’s finally home.”

“He will for a while,” Plo said, before tilting his head in a way that Obi-Wan knew conveyed Plo’s fondness. “Thankfully he has you to be beside him.” 

Obi-Wan smiled thankfully at him, glancing back to the clones at loud laughter, seeing they had collapsed on a pile on the floor – though he realised that Cody and Rex were placed near the outer so they could move away if they were uncomfortable.

“Have you told Wolffe, Boost, Comet and Sinker about your plans to adopt them yet?” Obi-Wan asked quietly. Plo gave a small shake of his head.

“No,” he said regretfully. “I don’t want to give them false hope and then have the Senate and GAR stonewall me. I would try and take them anyway, but for now…for now all I can do is wait.”

“Well, Mace is planning on fighting the Senate to get the clones transferred to under our care,” Obi-Wan reassured him. “I also know a few Senators who would support us and would fight to get the clones rights so they could be adopted.” 

“I just hope it doesn’t take too long,” Plo sighed. “I’ve almost lost them too many times.”

“I know,” Obi-Wan agreed before frowning. “The Force _feels_ different, have you noticed?” he asked. “I-I know that this war will end soon…but something else is coming, it’s elusive but dangerous.”

Plo nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, I’ve sensed that too.” 

They went quiet for a little while, watching as the clones all sat up finally, leaning against each other and laughing and chatting tiredly.

“Well, shall we wrangle them to go get lunch so Vokara doesn’t yell at us?” Obi-Wan questioned, smirking. Plo chuckled.

“I believe that would be most wise,” he said, amused. “Though I should probably comm Ahsoka to drag Skywalker and Echo down as well.”

“Wolffe doesn’t want to go grab him?” Obi-Wan teased as he stood, stretching out. Plo chuckled once more as he stood.

“I don’t believe they’d come back down for lunch,” Plo just said so casually that it made Obi-Wan snort with laughter. They walked over to the clones sprawled out over the mats as Master Drallig walked in, eyebrows rising as he saw the clones all sitting there, still breathing heavily from their exercise. 

“Well you all seem exhausted,” Drallig said, walking over to stand beside Obi-Wan and Plo, arms folded behind his back.

“They needed to run around,” Obi-Wan chuckled, glancing at Drallig. “Do you have a class in here soon?”

“It’s a little while away,” Drallig said, waving away his concerns. “Just a technique class…though,” Drallig said, giving a small laugh, “seeing how exhausted you all are, I might get you to chase around my Initiates when they have one of those days.”

“Those days, sir?” Fives questioned curiously.

“When they’re full of energy and struggling to focus on anything,” the dark blond Jedi smirked. “Those days when you can’t teach them anything, at least I can make sure they’re run ragged.”

“Always a task-master,” Plo said, shaking his head in amusement. Drallig laughed softly at that. 

“How has the teaching been?” Obi-Wan asked curiously. “I know you don’t teach as often anymore due to being Head of Security. Also, how is everything with that going?” he asked meaningfully, not wanting to worry the clones.

“I still keep an eye on everything; everything is secure as it could be,” Drallig answered easily, making Obi-Wan relax at his answer, knowing the Guards wouldn't let Cody and Rex, or any of the clones in the Temple for that matter, come to any harm. “Though I do need to get things set up for my class.”

“Of course,” Obi-Wan said. “We were about to head to lunch anyway.” 

He laughed as he noticed the clones perk up at the mention of food. 

“C-Can we eat here? I-I mean, is it okay for us to eat with the Jedi in the Temple?” Wooley asked, eyes wide. 

“The commissary will love to have you, as will the Jedi,” Drallig reassured them. “You’d be the first not to fuss over the food.”

Obi-Wan nodded thankfully to Drallig as the clones all climbed to their feet, laughing and jostling one another. Cody stepped close to Obi-Wan’s side and Obi-Wan smiled warmly at him.

“Enjoy that?” Obi-Wan asked gently as they left the training salles and headed towards the commissary. Cody smiled as he nodded.

“It felt… _normal_ ,” Cody admitted. “Master Drallig didn’t mind that we were using the training rooms?” 

“No, that’s just his usual grumpy expression,” Obi-Wan reassured him. Cody nodded and Obi-Wan gently nudged him with his shoulder, smiling. Cody smiled back as they entered the commissary. 

The Jedi already in there looked up from their lunches and conversations as they entered, most of them smiling as they met the clones’ gazes. 

“Get what you want, Cody,” Obi-Wan murmured as they lined up. Rex grinned at Obi-Wan as he loaded his plate, with Fives sneaking on some extra fruit to Rex's plate when Rex looked away. 

They had gathered their food and had sat down by the time Echo, Anakin and Ahsoka joined them. 

Wolffe immediately shoved Comet over so there was space for Echo to sit down beside him. Comet rolled his eyes and scooted over, grinning at Echo as Echo shot him an apologetic smile. 

“How is it going, Anakin?” Obi-Wan asked as Anakin sat down heavily next to Rex, glaring at his food. 

“We can’t decipher it,” Anakin grumbled. “No program is showing what the language it is.” 

“You’ll figure it out,” Obi-Wan reassured him, smiling at Mace and Ponds as they settled in on their table. 

They settled back, laughing at the stories and teasing between the clones.

“Oh, you think that’s bad?” Ponds asked, rolling his eyes. “You know what I walked in on this morning?” 

“Do we want to know?” Windu snorted. 

“Yep,” Ponds said, grinning, and Windu relaxed, seeing Ponds smiling again after that heart-breaking video and message from earlier. 

“So, I walked in to wake Wolffe and Echo up so we can have breakfast at Rex’s – which was great by the way, little brother,” Ponds said, looking to Rex. “Anyway, went to wake them up and opened the door to be flashed by Wolffe’s _shebs_.”

Wolffe snorted. “You’ve it all before, Ponds,” he reminded him. 

“Yeah, but not with a bite mark adorning your ass cheek.”

The clones howled with laughter at that as Echo went bright red and hid his face. Comet patted Echo’s back as he giggled to himself. 

Plo was shaking his head and Obi-Wan couldn’t help the smile that pulled at his lips, knowing Plo was feeling like an embarrassed parent. 

Wolffe just shrugged, looking smug as he wrapped his arm around Echo’s waist.

“Don’t be jealous, Pon’ika,” Wolffe said, giving him a pointed look. “We spoke about that this morning, hmm? Should we bring it up with the others?”

Ponds growled at him, “Don’t you dare, Wolffe.”

Wolffe smirked smugly and nuzzled into Echo’s hair. 

Obi-Wan’s attention was pulled to Cody as Cody leaned against his side, yawning largely behind his hand. 

“Want to go back to the apartment, dear one?” Obi-Wan asked quietly. Cody gave a small nod, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. 

They both stood up, chatting a bit more to the others, with Anakin and Echo planning to come up to Obi-Wan’s apartment so they could look over the information they had on the chips already. 

Cody and Obi-Wan had just left the commissary when someone called Obi-Wan’s name. Obi-Wan turned, seeing Windu walking out from the commissary to catch up with them.

“Can I help you with something, Mace?”

“I was wondering if you could put me in contact with your Senator friends?” Windu asked. “I was thinking another set of eyes, especially by those who look over Senate motions and contracts, would be helpful to look over the motion I’ve written up to present to the Senate about Jedi involvement and about the clones’ rights.”

Obi-Wan nodded. “Of course, Mace,” Obi-Wan said eagerly. “Padme is coming by tomorrow, I’ll comm Bail and see if he’s happy to tag along.”

“Thank you, Obi-Wan,” Windu said, inclining his head. “I won’t keep you,” he added, seeing Cody swaying slightly. Obi-Wan glanced at Cody and gave a small smile, nodding once more to Windu before he led Cody away. 

 

They got back to the apartment and Cody was yawning.

“Hang on, dear one,” Obi-Wan said as he headed into the kitchen area, grabbing a glass of water and some of the pills Vokara had given him. “You need to have these before you go and rest.”

“Really?” Cody sighed, looking at the pills in distaste.

“They’ll help with your shakes, Cody,” Obi-Wan explained. “They’re to help stop the after-effects of the spice…plus, Vokara would kill me if she found out you weren’t taking them.”

Cody rolled his eyes, snorting slightly, but took the pills and swallowed them. 

He did want the shakes to stop…he just hated taking medications, especially after being forced to be stoic and push aside any illness or injury (unless it was major and required attention) on Kamino in fear of being reconditioned or decommissioned. 

“I can’t believe I’m so tired,” Cody grumbled as he rubbed at his eyes. There was a soft laugh from Obi-Wan. 

“It’s all right, Cody,” Obi-Wan said. “You did just run around with all of your brothers and you did have surgery yesterday.”

Cody nodded and Obi-Wan’s hand rested reassuringly on his shoulder, squeezing softly. 

“It’s okay to be tired, love,” Obi-Wan murmured softly. “Come now, let’s get you to bed.”

Cody smiled at him, threading his fingers with Obi-Wan’s, heart thumping at the warmth and adoration that appeared in Obi-Wan’s grey eyes as Obi-Wan looked at him, before they headed to the bedroom.

Obi-Wan released Cody’s hand so he could dim the shades, casing the room in a soft darkness. Cody glanced around before freezing, spotting something on Obi-Wan’s desk that he had failed to spot the night before or this morning.

Obi-Wan glanced at Cody when he felt Cody’s shock radiate through the Force. 

“Cody?” he murmured worriedly. Cody just stepped towards the desk, eyes fixed on the object, before he lifted his hand and placed it upon the object, feeling the smooth plastoid under his fingers.

“My helmet,” Cody croaked out as he lifted it, examining the heart-achingly familiar 212th gold colour that he had painstakingly painted on there with such care. “I-I didn’t see it last night.”

“It was late,” Obi-Wan said quietly. “But, yes, I kept it…I-I just wanted the reminder of you, a silent promise to give it back to you.”

“I didn’t know what happened to it or my armour,” Cody admitted as he placed his helmet back down carefully. 

He knew it was his helmet and his heart ached at the sight of it. It just didn’t feel like his anymore, though he spent so many days, so many months, looking through that visor, reading the HUD and using it to keep an eye on his men…but now it felt like something that was no longer his, as though it belonged to a past life.

“We found yours and Rex’s helmets – which I believe Fives has now – where you had been abducted,” Obi-Wan explained. “I broke down when I saw your helmet but found no trace of you…I just _knew_ I should have never let you leave my sight and I’m so sorry, Cody.” 

Cody turned and walked to Obi-Wan, pulling him in close and nuzzling his face into Obi-Wan’s hair.

“It wasn’t your fault, Obi-Wan,” Cody told him firmly. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Obi-Wan trembled in Cody’s arms as he wrapped his arms around Cody, clinging to him tightly. 

They held each other tightly, not needing to speak, for a while before Obi-Wan pulled away, smiling shakily at Cody as Cody stifled a yawn.

“You need to rest, my love,” Obi-Wan told him, squeezing Cody’s hands as he smiled at him. 

“Lay with me?” Cody asked quietly. Obi-Wan nodded, smiling once more. They headed towards the bed, both laying on their sides so they could look at each other. Obi-Wan drew the thick, soft blanket up around them, both of them snuggling close underneath it. 

Obi-Wan reached out to gently stroke Cody’s cheek, watching as Cody relaxed, his eyes fluttering shut. Cody carefully moved closer so he could rest his forehead against Obi-Wan’s, breathing in Obi-Wan’s green tea scent. Obi-Wan could feel Cody relaxing, sinking deeper into his doze and heading towards a deep sleep.

He stayed curled up with Cody for a while, content to just listen to Cody’s steady breaths as Cody slept deeply; his grey eyes flicking about Cody’s face, examining every millimetre of him, taking in every freckle, faint across the bridge of his nose; taking in the way his scar dipped deep around his eye, the edges rather smooth now, yet still a bit raised where the helmet had dug into his skin the most. 

Obi-Wan’s gaze traced Cody’s rather long eyelashes from where they rested lightly against his cheeks, to his soft lips slightly parted as he dreamed. 

Obi-Wan always knew Cody was rather handsome, though Cody didn’t see himself as anything special since his face was shared by a million others – but Obi-Wan saw the differences, saw the _beauty_ of him, both in and out. 

Soon Obi-Wan carefully shifted out of the blankets, tucking Cody back in and smiling fondly as he watched Cody curl around a pillow, mumbling to himself. 

He headed out into the main apartment to let Cody sleep for a while. Obi-Wan sighed as he settled down on the couch, picking up his datapad. 

He really needed to catch up on that paperwork. 

 

Obi-Wan had just started to make a dent in his paperwork when the door chimed. Sighing, Obi-Wan stood up, placing the datapad aside. He walked to the door and opened it, smiling when he saw who was standing there.

“Tup,” he greeted softly. “Please come in.”

Tup smiled as he walked in, following Obi-Wan to the couch. 

“Did you want a drink of anything?” Obi-Wan asked. “Rex and Fives brought some slice over earlier if you’d like some of that?”

Tup shook his head. “No, I’m fine, Obi-Wan, thank you.” 

Obi-Wan settled down beside Tup, smiling at him warmly. Tup glanced around, fingers tapping nervously against his thighs.

“Where’s Cody?”

“He’s sleeping,” Obi-Wan answered, head tilting slightly as his sharp grey eyes caught sight of Tup’s fidgeting fingers, knowing Tup was being cautious and hesitant about something. “What’s wrong, Tup?”

Tup sighed, knowing Obi-Wan knew him better than most. 

“Well, I wanted to ask you if I could be assigned to the 501st again,” Tup said slowly, looking up and meeting his gaze. “I think I’m ready to be back with my brothers.”

Obi-Wan smiled and nodded. “I’m happy for you, Tup,” he said, reaching out to pat Tup’s knee. Tup gave a weak smile and Obi-Wan sighed. 

“What else is on your mind, youngling?” he asked gently. 

Tup swallowed, looking away and down at his knees, staring as he flexed his hands against the thighs of his black pants. 

“I-I’ve been thinking,” Tup started before swallowing harshly once more, nervous. 

“You can tell me anything, Tup,” Obi-Wan reassured him. “I won’t judge you.”

“I-I know you won’t,” Tup said, glancing up to meet Obi-Wan’s concerned gaze briefly. “That’s why I wanted to ask your advice.”

Obi-Wan nodded, waiting for Tup to continue. Tup sighed and swallowed once more, knowing it was just easier to just say it.

“I want to see Jek again,” Tup managed to get out. He cautiously looked to Obi-Wan again, relaxing when he saw Obi-Wan nodding understandingly. 

“I mean, I know after everything I shouldn’t…but…but I want to talk to him and see if what he said about him truly loving me is true,” Tup continued. “I-I just miss him.”

Obi-Wan reached out again as he saw Tup’s shoulders trembling and pulled the youngster close. Tup went with him, immediately burying his face into Obi-Wan’s shoulder as he clung onto him, seeking his reassurance. 

“It’s not wrong to want that, Tup,” Obi-Wan murmured in his ear. “And I could see that he did truly care for you if that helps, but we all knew you needed time to know what your own heart thought about it, how you truly felt after everything came to light.”

“I-I just don’t know Cody and Rex will react – or how any of my brothers will react really – if they find out I want to talk to the man who was employed by the men who kidnapped and abused Rex and Cody, just so I can see if he really loves me and-and if we can move on from there and perhaps be together,” Tup said nervously.

“You know Rex has already told you that he and Cody could see that Jek truly cared for you in the footage they say,” Obi-Wan said, choosing his words carefully. “Jek truly didn’t know that his faceless employers were the ones who had your brothers, he had no idea what was happening to them, so I doubt Rex and Cody would blame him for that.” Obi-Wan paused for a moment, lifting a hand to stroke the back of Tup’s neck comfortingly. 

“I think your brothers would just want you to be happy, Tup’ika,” Obi-Wan said finally. “Yes, they may be more protective and overbearing if you and Jek do get back together, but they’ll get over it if it means you’re happy.”

Tup nodded against Obi-Wan’s shoulder, breathing in deeply. 

“I-I might just think about it some more,” Tup said. “I don’t know what I’d say or do if I saw him and-and I just need to get the nerve,” Tup’s voice trailed off in a mumble at that, but Obi-Wan heard and just stroked the back of his neck reassuringly once more.

“Take your time, Tup,” Obi-Wan soothed him. “You need to be comfortable with seeing him, don’t push yourself if you don’t feel ready.”

Tup nodded and sat up, smiling a weak, thankful smile at Obi-Wan, who smiled back as he inclined his head slightly.

“I’ll get started on the paperwork to transfer you back to Torrent,” Obi-Wan told him. “I’ve got your armour stored in Anakin’s old room there if you wanted to retrieve it now?” 

Tup gave a small shake of his head. “I-I might just leave it here for now, if that’s okay?” 

“That’s fine,” Obi-Wan reassured him. “Just make sure you grab it before you’re deployed next or you’ll stand out in your gold armour amongst your blue brothers.”

Tup laughed softly at that and Obi-Wan smiled once more as he heard the youngster laugh. 

“I promised Rex I’d go help him out some sweets to the younglings,” Tup said suddenly, looking to Obi-Wan. “Thank you for everything, Obi-Wan.”

“Any time, Tup, and for anything, I mean it,” Obi-Wan told him firmly. “Though seeing the younglings will be good for you, I think they’ll like you.”

Obi-Wan smiled slightly as he noticed Tup fidgeting, shy once more. 

“A-Are you sure?”

“You’re a sweet, kind young man, Tup, they’ll adore you,” Obi-Wan promised. “Now go on, don’t keep Rex waiting.”

Tup smiled once more as he got to his feet.

“Thanks again, Obi-Wan,” Tup said before glancing towards Obi-Wan’s bedroom. “I’m glad you’ve got Cody back a-and can you tell him I look forward to just spending time with him again? I've missed my _ori'vod_.”

Obi-Wan smiled. “Of course, Tup.”

Tup smiled back and headed towards the door.

“Oh, Tup, how are the headaches and nightmares?” Obi-Wan asked, hoping for the best answer. Tup paused as he reached the door before he looked over his shoulder at Obi-Wan, smiling.

“Nightmares haven’t been so bad and they’ve changed slightly, and there have been no more headaches,” Tup reassured him. Obi-Wan noticed what Tup had said about the nightmares but decided to leave that for now, he didn’t want to keep Tup away from the younglings, especially since he knew the younglings would just adore Tup – and he had a feeling they would be good for him as well.

Obi-Wan turned and picked up his datapad once more, filling in the proper transfer papers for Tup.

Fives, Jesse, Kix, Echo and Hardcase would be so thrilled to have their little brother back, though he knew Ghost Company would be disappointed to lose him, even though they knew Tup wasn’t theirs to keep. 

He also hoped that Tup wouldn’t be hurt again. He knew how much Tup had hurt after the truth about Jek had been revealed, about how he swore to Jesse and Kix that he would never love or care for anyone again.

Thankfully, Tup hadn’t seemed to have held onto that promise. 

Obi-Wan had seen so much lost in this war: lives, trust, limbs, sanity, love…but what he hated the most was seeing the innocence of beings being lost; whether it be a child whose planet was war torn, forced to see horrors beyond their years, to the new Padawans thrust into a war filled with death, as they watched their friends to die around them, to the clone trooper who still held onto that innocence and awe they had for the Galaxy until the war and death and hate took it from them. 

Tup was one of the rare few that held onto that innocence, who tried to see the best in everyone and the beauty in everything. 

While others looked at war-torn planets and saw death, destruction and hopelessness, Tup would look upon it and see small trees beginning to bloom, showing new life, or he would notice how the people of the planet came together to help each other, to rebuild their lives.

Tup still saw hope where others saw none.

Obi-Wan just hoped he never lost that part of him, that thing that made Tup _Tup_. 

He knew how devastated Jesse and Kix had been when Tup had claimed that he would never care again as his heart shattered, but getting Rex and Cody back and speaking and making things up with Fives seemed to have helped stall that. 

It spoke measures that Tup was willing to speak to Jek, showing that he still cared at least.

He hoped that Jek wasn’t foolish, that he wouldn’t go around and break Tup’s heart again.

He didn’t think Tup and his brothers, especially Cody and Rex, could bear seeing Tup’s heart being broken again.

Obi-Wan sighed at that thought and leaned back against the couch, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling.

Hope was in short supply these days but seeing Tup with his giant, caring heart, it made them all try harder, to see what Tup saw, to preserve Tup’s heart.

Obi-Wan gave a small, somewhat sad smile.

If only all beings could all be like Tup, then there would be no problems in the Galaxy.

 

Dooku frowned as he stared out of the window of his estate, over Serenno. 

Things were changing, he knew Sidious was getting more and more frustrated as the Republic called for him to step down and as Skywalker apparently turned further away for him.

Dooku smirked at that.

He never thought Skywalker would have the brains to truly realise what Sidious was, but even he knew something was wrong and was distancing himself from Sidious and his influence. 

Dooku wouldn’t kid himself though, he knew this war was going to end sooner than Sidious had planned and he knew, the visions pushed, that the Jedi would win this – so the question was, how could he survive this himself?

He knew the Jedi would have a price on his head after the war…but what if he showed them that he had turned against Sidious and that he wanted to help them stop the Sith Lord.

Dooku frowned, rubbing at his chin in thought. 

After all, when Sidious was killed – because that was truly the only way to get the war to stop – he would step in as the leader of the Separatists to work out treaties with the new Chancellor, who would hopefully have some sort of brains to leave the planets and systems who wanted to remain out of the Republic alone. 

If the Jedi saw that he no longer followed Sidious, that he was no longer a Sith, then they’d have to just accept him as the leader of the Separatists and he would tell them everything about how Sidious orchestrated both sides of the war, how he was forced to lead the Separatists into war.

They’d sign treaties and go their separate ways, keeping a civil relationship between the Separatists, the Republic and the Neutral Systems.

The only question was how to convince the Jedi that he wanted to assist them, to end this war, so when the war did end he didn’t end up locked in a cell deep within the Jedi Temple.

What could he do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, sorry it took me a little while...just work and life has got me exhausted and just tired of everything
> 
> Also...I want to get your opinions since I'm still up in the air...
> 
> Mace and Ponds a couple...yes or no?


	18. Senators

Cody was curled up on the couch, a soft, warm blanket wrapped around him courtesy of Obi-Wan, with a cup of hot chocolate clasped in his hands, filling him with a soft warmth as he listened to his brothers chat and laugh from where they were sprawled around Obi-Wan’s apartment. 

Obi-Wan himself was sitting at the table, frowning at a datapad, but he kept throwing witty comments and sassy comebacks back towards the men sprawled across his lounge.   
Rex yawned as he leaned against Cody, rubbing his cheek against the soft blanket wrapped around Cody. Fives was sitting by Rex’s feet, head resting against Rex’s knee as he spoke to the other members of Torrent Company sprawled beside him, all intermingled with the members of Ghost Company. 

Obi-Wan stood up as the door chimed, going to answer it, aware that all of the clones in his apartment had turned to watch.

“Nosey,” he said airily as he walked past them, smirking as he did so.

“Hey, we gotta watch your back, _vod_ ,” Boil answered, returning the smirk.

“In the Temple?”

“You find trouble wherever you go,” Waxer retorted, causing a round of laughter from the others. Obi-Wan just rolled his eyes as he answered the door. 

“Padme, Bail, how good to see you!” Obi-Wan greeted as he saw them there, his smile faltering somewhat as he saw how ladened with bags they were. Bail gave him a commiserating grin as he saw Obi-Wan had noticed the bags.

“Padme roped me into being her bag-boy,” Bail chuckled, shaking his head. Obi-Wan chuckled as he stepped aside, inviting them in. They both stepped inside and paused as they caught sight of all of the clones sprawled across Obi-Wan’s lounge, both on the furniture and the floor.

“Obi-Wan, you need more couches,” Bail joked, trying to break the ice. Obi-Wan laughed, nodding in agreement as he came to stand beside them.

“I certainly do,” he agreed, looking over the clones with fondness.

“Cody, Rex, it is so good to see you,” Padme told them, spotting the two sitting on the couch. She couldn’t help the smile when she saw Cody snuggled up in a soft blanket with a mug in his hands. 

“Thank you, Senator,” Rex said, inclining his head. “It’s good to be home.”

“We were all so worried about you,” Padme continued, “and, Rex, please call me Padme.” 

“Bail is fine as well,” Bail spoke up, smiling at them all. “For all of you, please.” 

“Cody, I’ve brought you some outfits,” Padme continued, nodding to Bail, who placed the bags down on the floor. Cody stared at the numerous, overflowing bags with large, almost horrified, eyes.

“They aren’t all for you, don’t worry,” Padme reassured him, seeing the expression on his face. “I also bought some clothes for Rex and Ponds.”

Rex startled at hearing his name and looked at Padme in shock. Padme just smiled at him and started to sort out the bags, handing them to Cody and Rex respectively.

“Ooh, show us your new clothes,” Waxer grinned cheekily. 

“Waxer, don’t make me throw you out of the apartment,” Cody just growled in response. Fives looked through Rex’s bags with him, grinning as he pulled out a dark blue shirt.

“I’m liking these,” Fives said, shooting a grin to Padme. “Gonna have the best dressed _cyare_ out of all of the _vode_.” 

Rex smiled and gently cuffed Fives around the back of his head as Fives placed the shirt back in the bag. 

Obi-Wan was similarly peering into the bags Padme had placed in front of Cody, smiling as he caught sight of dark gold material within it. He did love that colour, it brought out the amber of Cody’s eyes. 

Bail just smiled as he took in all of the clones sprawled across the lounge. If only the Republic could see this picture, see how relaxed they all were around one another. He knew that they had relaxed further since Rex and Cody had been rescued; Bail still remembered seeing how tired and defeated they had looked in the times he had seen them after Cody and Rex had been kidnapped. 

“So, what does _cyare_ mean?” Bail asked curiously, carefully stepping closer to the men. One of them vacated an armchair for him. Bail shook his head, smiling at him, but the clone just gestured to the chair.

“It’s fine, sir, really,” he said. Bail smiled as he sat down. 

“Thank you, it’s Jesse, isn’t it?” Bail asked, seeing the Republic Cog tattooed. He did remember him slightly, only from what Obi-Wan and Padme had told him. 

Jesse blinked, surprised at being recognized by a Senator, and glanced at Kix, who smiled up at him. 

“Uh, yes, sir,” Jesse replied.

“Just call me Bail, please,” Bail said, smiling reassuringly at him. Jesse nodded as he settled down next to Kix on the floor, who immediately curled into his side. 

“And _cyare_ means beloved,” Jesse said carefully. Bail nodded thoughtfully, looking to Fives and Rex.

“So you two are a couple then?” Bail asked gently, smiling reassuringly as he saw Rex stiffen slightly. “Like Wolffe and Echo?”

Rex startled and looked to Bail in surprise. “You know about them?”

Bail nodded, looking to Padme. “Oh yes, we went to meet Duchess Kryze when the 501st brought her in with Obi-Wan and the members of the 212th here,” Bail explained, looking over the clones grinning at each other smugly. 

“Masters Plo and Windu were there with us and they brought Ponds and Wolffe with them. Wolffe was very excited to see Echo, his Pup as he fondly called him,” Bail continued. “It’s good to know you’re finding some sort of happiness. Love is one of the most special things in the universe, it truly changes your life when you find your soul-mate, your heart-mate, your other half.”

“You have a wife, don’t you, sir…Bail?” Waxer asked, quickly calling Bail by his name as Bail gave him a small look. 

“I do,” Bail said, smiling fondly as he thought of his wife. “Breha is the light of my Galaxy, I don’t know how I would get past my darkest days without her.”

“I know what you mean,” Kix murmured, looking to Jesse. Bail blinked as he saw that look, knowing it was one he gave Breha every time he saw her. 

“And you two?” Bail asked gently. Kix nodded as Jesse turned his head to look at Kix, smiling fondly at his fussy medic. 

“Kix has been my partner since we were on Kamino,” Jesse said, reaching his hand up to run his fingers over Kix’s buzzed hair. “He became my _riduur_ about a year ago.”

“ _Riduur_?” Bail questioned curiously. 

“It means spouse in Mando'a, I witnessed their vows,” Obi-Wan spoke up from where he was standing behind Cody now, running his fingers soothingly through Cody’s hair as Cody sat there, eyes half-closed, calmed by Obi-Wan’s ministrations. 

“Married?” Bail asked softly.

“Well, as married as we can get,” Jesse said somewhat bitterly. “We’re not legally recognized.”

“I’m sorry, Jesse,” Padme whispered. Kix just shook his head, taking Jesse’s hands in his own.

“We’ll get there one day,” Kix said, smiling hopefully, “but at least we can be together now, right, Jess?” 

Jesse smiled fondly at Kix. “Right, Kixystix.” 

“Well, you lot look like you’re having a good time here, so we won’t encroach on you anymore,” Bail said as he stood up.

“Yes, we should get these clothes to Ponds,” Padme said. “And do you know where Anakin is, Obi-Wan?”

There was soft snickers and giggles as the clones all looked away, making Bail raise an eyebrow and look to Padme.

“He’s trying to figure something out with Echo, they’re getting quite into it,” Obi-Wan answered. 

“Okay, Padme,” Bail sighed. “I’ve known you long enough, we’ve been friends since I was elected, and you know everything about me, isn’t it time you returned the favour?”  
Padme stared at Bail, wide-eyed.

“Bail,” she breathed. 

Bail sighed once more, “I have an idea what it is but it would be nice if you actually told me.”

“You can trust him, Padme,” Obi-Wan said, still carding his fingers through Cody’s hair. “He won’t judge you; he never judged me for loving Cody.” 

“I know, Obi-Wan, and I truly do trust you, Bail, I do…it’s just…if this got out,” Padme said quietly. 

“We’ll protect you, Senator,” Hardcase piped up. “Promise we won’t let anyone hurt you.”

Padme smiled softly at the tattooed trooper.

“Thank you, Hardcase,” Padme murmured before she sighed, steeling herself and looking to Bail, who was looking at her, brown eyes gentle. 

“I’m married, Bail,” Padme said, “to Anakin Skywalker.”

Bail gave a small snort, rubbing his chin. “Well, I had a suspicion that you two were involved, but I never thought you were married! For how long?”

“Since Geonosis, when the war began,” Padme admitted. Bail grinned, shaking his head.

“You never do anything by halves, do you, Padme?” Bail chuckled. Padme smiled before it faltered.

“You won’t tell anyone, will you, Bail?” Padme asked somewhat worriedly. 

“Of course not, Padme,” Bail reassured her. “I know what some of the Senators are like and I’d rather not give them something to use on you.”

Padme smiled, relieved. She knew she could trust Bail. 

“What does the Jedi think of this?” Bail asked, glancing at Obi-Wan and Cody. “What about you and Cody, Obi-Wan?” 

Cody glanced up at Obi-Wan and Obi-Wan smiled down warmly at him. 

“The Jedi are reconsidering the rules on Attachments,” Obi-Wan said, hands gently resting on Cody’s shoulder, making sure to keep it light so Cody didn’t feel trapped. “It’s in the watch and see stage, but they’re allowing it.”

“Good,” Bail sighed. “I don’t want to see you punished for love – it just isn’t right.” 

“We should get going Bail, we still need to meet Master Windu,” Padme said gently, “and I should deliver Ponds his clothes.”

“Mace should be with Ponds,” Obi-Wan said. “They’ve been going over battle plans since Ponds is Temple bound.”

“I’ll take you,” Rex said as he stood up.

“We don’t want to put you out,” Bail said quickly. “We don’t want to take you away from spending time with your brothers.”

Rex just smiled. “It’s fine,” he reassured them. “I have an appointment with Bant soon anyway.”

“Bant?” 

“She’s a Mind Healer,” Rex said calmly. He knew he had to say it, that he shouldn’t be ashamed of it.

“I also grew up with her,” Obi-Wan added, chuckling. 

“Well, if she tells you stories about him as a kid, let me know,” Bail said with a grin. “I could use the blackmailing material.” 

“That’s just rude,” Obi-Wan said, shaking his head, though he was smiling.

“It is good to know you’re talking to someone, Rex,” Padme said, gently reaching out to squeeze Rex’s hand. Rex looked down at the petite Senator, giving a weak smile.

“See you back at the apartment tonight, _cyare_ ,” Fives said. “We need to head back to the barracks for a bit so the Admirals don’t get suspicious.”

“We have put you on Temple Guard Duty,” Obi-Wan said. "They shouldn't be getting suspicious."

“Yeah, we know, but you know how some of these Admirals are, they’re a suspicious bunch that keep waiting for us to turn on them.”

“I know,” Obi-Wan sighed. “I have gone up against quite a few Admirals who were out of line.”

“I’ll see you soon, Obi-Wan,” Padme said quickly. “If you see Anakin, tell him I’ll talk to him later?”

“Of course.” 

Obi-Wan watched as Padme and Bail left, escorted by Rex, before the clones soon trickled out, having to go back to the barracks or going to talk to the Temple Guards so they could find something to do. 

Soon, it was just Cody and Obi-Wan in the apartment. Obi-Wan sighed as he settled down beside Cody on the couch. Cody smiled as he leaned against Obi-Wan’s side, sighing.

“I do love seeing my brothers, but I forgot how exhausting they could be,” Cody laughed softly. “I wouldn’t trade them for the world though.”

“I know, love, I know,” Obi-Wan murmured reassuringly. “Are you ready for your appointment with Bant tomorrow?” 

“I don’t know,” Cody mumbled. “It’s just going…I’ve never spoken about stuff like this except for with the _vode_ and with you. I mean, talking about this to the wrong people and we got reconditioned or decommissioned.” 

“I know, dear one, but Bant won’t judge you for anything nor will she push you,” Obi-Wan reassured him. “We’re going to send Mind Healers out to rotate between battalions to help your brothers so we don’t lose any more of them. We want you to be able to speak freely, to tell us when you’re struggling or know that you’re not going to be decommissioned or reconditioned for having emotions.”

Cody smiled sadly at Obi-Wan. “This is why we adore our Jedi – you always see us as human and not as lab experiments.”

“Oh, Cody,” Obi-Wan breathed sadly. Cody just smiled sadly once more before he curled up with Obi-Wan.

“I-I’ll talk to Bant but…but I don’t how it’ll go,” Cody said quietly. 

“That’s all I could ask of you, my love, just do your best but don’t feel pressured to talk if you’re not ready,” Obi-Wan murmured, gently stroking Cody’s back. 

 

Mace glanced up from where he was reading his datapad when his door chimed. He stood up and opened it, giving a small smile when he saw who was standing there.

“Senator Amidala, Senator Organa, thank you for coming,” Windu said, inviting them into his apartment. 

“Master Windu,” Bail greeted as he passed him, stepping into the apartment. 

“Is Ponds around?” Padme asked once she had greeted Windu. “I brought him some clothes.”

Windu blinked in surprise, seeing the bags Padme was toting about on her arms. 

“He’s just gone down to the Room of a Thousand Fountains,” Windu explained as they sat down at the table. “He finds it soothing there…but thank you, Senator, for the clothes. He’ll be quite overwhelmed, I believe.”

“He – and the others of course – deserve the simple things like different changes of clothes, things we take for granted,” Bail sighed. Windu nodded in agreement.

“Now, Obi-Wan said you had a proposal written up to present to the Senate?” Padme asked. 

“Yes, well…it’s more a speech really,” Windu admitted. “It’s going to outline how the Jedi plan to shift slightly from Senate control so we can further help the Republic, including the many systems that form it, in ways we couldn’t before.” 

Bail nodded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully once more.

“There’s also a proposal about the Jedi taking control of the clones care,” Windu continued. “I’ve written the arguments about why we should be able to take over their care.”  
Bail took the offered datapad, scanning over the points, nodding thoughtfully before he handed it over to Padme.

“You seem to make good points,” Bail agreed. “We should work on the proposal more so others won’t be able to rip it to shreds.”

“I believe the holo channel is helping to show the clones and the Jedi in a new light and it’s definitely turning the public opinion to your side,” Padme added. “So that will definitely help with your proposals.”

“Do you believe it is a good idea for the Jedi to pull back from Senate control?” Windu questioned.

“Oh, definitely, especially for the reasons you’ve said,” Bail said, tapping the datapad. “You want to help the Republic more than you’ve been able to; to help the systems who may be overlooked for the, well, ‘richer’ or more influential ones.” 

“That’s definitely a reason we want to pull back,” Windu explained. “What happened to Cody and Rex, being ordered not to look for them, to save them from the horrors they were facing, it just made us realise how bound by the Senate we were. We just want to do more, to help, to be Guardians of the Peace like we’re meant to be.”

“Well, we’ll definitely help with that,” Bail smiled.

“And you believe the recordings will help turn the tide in our favour?” Windu asked. “So we should keep releasing them?”

“Of course,” Padme said before smiling. “I absolutely adore watching them, to see the different sides of the clones and the Jedi.”

Windu hesitated for a moment before he reached for his datapad, bringing up the video.

“Ponds was sent this yesterday,” Windu said quietly. “We are unsure of how to proceed with it.”

He handed the datapad over, watching as Padme shifted closer to Bail so they could both watch the recording. Once it was done, they both looked up in confusion. 

“Why are you unsure of how to proceed?” Bail asked.

“Aurora was killed in the battle they were talking about,” Windu explained. “Trigger took his own life so he could be reunited with him.”

Padme’s brown eyes widened in shock, looking to Bail, who was shaking his head sadly.

“We are also unsure of how the Republic, the GAR and the Senate will react to the news of the clones being in relationships with each other,” Windu said carefully. “We Jedi see no issue, we can see how different they all are, but some species are more… _conservative_ compared to others.”

“What are you worried about most with this?” Bail asked.

“That the GAR splits up the couples, takes them to be reconditioned or decommissioned. It would kill them both,” Windu admitted. “They’re already forced to follow so many rules, already have so much freedom and their rights stripped from them…if they lost this, one of their only freedoms, one of the only things that gives them true happiness…well, there’d be more Trigger’s occurring, with them taking their own lives, heartbroken and alone.”

“I see your point,” Bail murmured. 

“I think this will gain sympathy for the clones, especially if you share the fates of Aurora and Trigger,” Padme said, “but perhaps it’s best to keep it until we’re almost ready to present to the Senate, that way the GAR won’t have time to react to tear the couples apart.” 

Windu nodded, agreeing with that. 

They spent the next hour going over the proposal, discussing the points, before Bail looked at his chrono and sighed.

“I have to go,” he said apologetically. “I have a holo meeting with Alderaan’s ministers.” 

Windu nodded, standing up. “Of course, thank you both for your help today.”

Padme smiled as she stood up as well. “It was our pleasure, Master Windu, we do want to see the clones get the rights they deserve and to see the Jedi doing what the Senate refuses to do.”

“I think we’re to the point where you can just call me Mace, Senators,” Windu smiled slightly. “You are helping us here, I do hope that makes us friendly at least.”

“As long as you drop the ‘Senator’ and start calling me Bail, I have no problem with that,” Bail laughed. 

“Well, you already know I’m married to Anakin and didn’t throw him out, so Padme is fine,” Padme smirked slightly.

“Wait, he knew before I did?” Bail asked, shocked. Padme giggled slightly as Windu smirked.

“Yes, I believe he said…now, what was it? Ah, yes, _‘What is with your lineage?’_ to Master Yoda about both Obi-Wan and Anakin,” Padme laughed. Windu inclined his head.

“His lineage is the one who are the most troublesome,” Windu smirked. “They do like to be mavericks and pull us along for the ride.”

Padme paused at the door as Windu opened it, looking thoughtful.

“We need to get Senators on your side, Mace,” Padme said thoughtfully. "Bail and I will talk to the Senators we know and trust, but you should invite Senators to the Temple to tour it, show them around and explain your teachings, make them your allies so you can get the votes.”

“I will bring that suggestion to the Council,” Windu said, inclining his head. “Thank you once again for the clothes for Ponds and for assisting me.”

“Any time,” Padme said.

“Shall we meet again in a few days to discuss this more?” Bail asked. “Missions and Senate sessions permitting of course?”

“That sounds fine,” Windu agreed. 

Once the Senators had headed off with a passing Initiate offering to walk them through the Temple, Windu collapsed on his couch, sighing tiredly. 

They had gotten through a third of his points, strengthening his arguments about the Jedi and the clones, but there was still so much he wanted to do. 

Windu wanted to make sure everything had a rock solid argument, not wanting the opposition to rip holes into his proposal. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing the clones, of losing Ponds.

He had to chase up a few things, some evidence to present to the Senate of Admirals abusing clones. He knew there were a few instances, but he hoped that there would solid evidence somewhere.

Then he had to tell Ponds that they were going to hold that video back of Aurora and Trigger and he had no idea how Ponds was going to take that, but he had a suspicion that he wouldn’t take it well.

Sighing, Windu twisted so he was laying down on his couch, resting his head on a soft fluffy pillow that was his secret pleasure. He smirked to himself at that. 

No one knew that the ex-Head of the Order loved soft things, but there was just something comforting about it; the soft pillows and blankets reminding him of his time in the crèche when life was simple and happy, and reminding him of a distant memory, almost like a wisp of smoke that he couldn’t catch, but he knew came from his time with his family before they gave him to the Jedi. 

Windu closed his eyes.

He really hoped Ponds would be okay after he told him about holding the video back for now. He couldn’t bear to lose him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, so that's that one done...  
> Sorry it's taken a bit longer but I've had a lot more shifts at work...and also work has just been shit and I'm over it...
> 
> I think I've figured out what I'm doing with Ponds and Mace, but their relationship won't be like Obi-Wan and Cody for example, but I'll flesh that out within the chapters soon :)


	19. Something More

Windu stood by the window, staring out over the Coruscant skies, deep in thought. He turned when he heard the door open, seeing Ponds walk in. Ponds gave him a tired smile as he sat at the table, stretching his arms.

“How was the Room of A Thousand Fountains?” Windu asked as he came to sit beside Ponds. 

“Good,” Ponds said. “One of the crèche masters was teaching the younglings to meditate and was telling them a story and invited me to listen in.”

Windu smiled at that. Ponds tapped at the datapad on the table.

“I heard Amidala and Organa were here,” Ponds said, glancing up at Windu. “How’d that go?”

Windu nodded. “We went over a lot of the points I want to present to the Senate,” he explained, “and they helped strengthen the arguments and gave me ideas of how to gain allies within the Senate.”

“So, it’s looking good then?” Ponds asked cautiously. “We have their support?”

“They’ve been some of the biggest supporters for your rights, Ponds,” Windu reassured him. “Amidala even brought you some clothes.”

Ponds startled, looking at the few large bags sitting in front of the couch that Windu indicated to.

“For me?”

“She brought some for you, Rex and Cody,” Windu reassured him. “She wanted you to have your own clothes, a freedom most take for granted.”

Ponds nodded absently, fiddling with the datapad. Windu took that moment to examine him, steeling himself for the conversation he knew they had to have. Ponds was looking more relaxed than Windu had seen him in a while, the tenseness gone from his shoulders and the dark smudges having disappeared from under his eyes; the tight lines gone from his eyes as well. Ponds shifted his head, glancing out the window, the sun then catching on Ponds’s face, the shadow sharpening Ponds’s already sharp and angular jawline.   
Ponds ran a hand over his smooth, bald head, yawning slightly as he turned his head back around, before he paused, his brown-gold eyes meeting Windu’s gaze.

“Mace?” Ponds questioned. “Are you okay?”

Windu gave a small smile and a nod. “I am fine, Ponds.”

Ponds raised a disbelieving eyebrow, his brown-gold eyes examining Windu closely.

“I know you,” Ponds just said finally. “Something is on your mind, Mace.” 

Windu sighed finally, giving a small nod. 

“I asked Amidala and Organa their opinion on the video you received yesterday,” Windu explained gently, his brown eyes meeting Ponds’s. Ponds gave a sharp intake of breath but nodded, waiting for Windu to continue.

“They agree that it’s best that we hold off on sharing this particular video,” he finished. He winced as Ponds snapped to his feet, chair being knocked over in his rush to stand.

“Why?!” Ponds demanded to know. “Why don’t you want Aurora’s and Trigger’s story being told?! Do you want us to hide who we are?!”

Windu got to his feet at that. “Ponds, you _know_ that isn’t true,” he said firmly. 

“Then _why_ , Mace?! Why not let the Senate and the Republic see that we do love and, yes, some of us fall in love with each other?!” 

“Because we’re not ready to present to the Senate yet,” Windu tried to explain. Ponds just shook his head, stalking away, snarling.

“So you’re going to use them as a sympathy vote then?” Ponds spat. 

“That isn’t true, Ponds, you’re twisting my words,” Windu said calmly, though he was alarmed at how Ponds was acting. He knew Ponds adored his brothers, but there was something else going on here. 

“No matter if we release it now or later on, the Republic would still feel the same amount of sympathy for you,” Windu continued calmly. “I just don’t want to release now, before we’re ready, because I’m scared of how the GAR will react.”

Ponds paused at that, looking over his shoulder at Windu, brow furrowed slightly. 

“You…scared, sir?” Ponds questioned quietly. Windu sighed, rubbing his own head warily.

“Of how the GAR would react, yes,” Windu admitted. “If we show this before the Jedi can get a chance to take over the care of the clones – as terrible as it sounds that we need to take over your care – then the GAR could react and the Jedi might not be able to stop them.”

“But - ,” Ponds began to say before Windu shook his head, cutting him off.

“You _know_ they will separate all of the couples,” Windu said heavily, wanting to grab a drink for this hard discussion. “Do you want to see them separated? To see Wolffe and Echo forced away from each other? To see Jesse and Kix sent to different battalions? To have Rags taken away from Jad?” Windu asked, knowing how much it would hurt Ponds to see Rags and Jad separated, one of the couples in his battalion. “And that’s only if they’re separated. We don’t know if the GAR would send them to reconditioning, to take away all that they are. How would you react if they took Echo away to be reconditioned and then see him walk past Wolffe, not remembering him? Could you imagine how it would break Wolffe?” 

Ponds froze, pain radiating through his brown-gold eyes as he thought of the pain that would cause Wolffe, to see the one he loved not know who he is, to not remember the love shared between them. 

It would kill Wolffe and it would kill Ponds to see his little brother hurting so much. 

“Oh,” Ponds murmured finally, turning to look back out the window. Windu walked to his side, frowning at the turmoil coming off Ponds in waves.

“Ponds?” he questioned softly. “What’s truly troubling you?”

“I just…I was scared,” Ponds admitted. “I didn’t…I didn’t know…”

“Ponds?”

“I didn’t know why you’d stop the video,” Ponds continued, choosing his words carefully. “I know Jedi had rules about attachment and I didn’t know…I thought…I was scared that you thought that it was a distraction.”

“Ponds,” Windu said, shocked. “I would _never_ try and stop any of your relationships, unless there was a reason for me to step in.”

“I-I know,” Ponds muttered, running a hand over his head nervously. “I just…I don’t know why I thought that.” 

“As for the Jedi and attachment, we are looking into that,” Windu admitted, gaining a surprised look from Ponds that made him smile. “What? Did you forget about that conversation we had in this very apartment when Cody and Rex were first taken?”

Ponds gave a sheepish smile. “It’s been a long seven months, Mace.”

Windu chuckled sadly. “That it has.”

“I also didn’t know what _you_ thought,” Ponds admitted, looking away again. “I know Obi-Wan is different compared to some of the others on the Council.”

Windu gave a small nod. “He is a bit of a maverick,” Windu agreed, “but change can be good.”

Ponds gave him a look and Windu smiled slightly. 

“Yes, we all can change,” Windu told him. “I had to admit to myself that I was attached.”

Ponds turned at that, giving Windu his full attention now, his brown-gold eyes wide. Windu sighed and indicated to the table. Ponds nodded, walking back over, picking up his fallen chair as he did so, before they both sat down once more.

“After our conversation that night, after Obi-Wan had dropped the bombshell that he and Cody were in a romantic relationship, Skywalker admitted he was married and Plo decided to announce he wanted to adopt the Wolf Pack, well, it left me thinking,” Windu began to explain. “I thought about when Boba came seeking revenge and you were caught in the crossfire, when I thought he had killed you at Aurra Sing’s demands, and I remembered how much it _hurt_ to think that you had been killed.”

Ponds was just staring at Windu with wide eyes. 

“I remember the absolute _relief_ that flooded through me the moment when I saw you walking down that ramp with Plo, injured but alive,” Windu continued, “and that’s when I realised I was attached because I couldn’t fathom losing you and it hurt when I believed that you had been killed because of _me_. I didn’t want to lose you…I still don’t ever want to lose you.”

Ponds just stared at Windu, hands beginning to tremble. Windu tilted his head slightly, feeling the tumultuous emotions roiling off of Pond’s now.

“Ponds?” he questioned gently. Ponds swallowed harshly, turning his gaze to the table top. 

“I don’t want to lose you either,” Ponds admitted quietly. “I-I do care for you, Mace, more than I should.”

It was Windu’s turn to stare at Ponds in shock.

“Mace?” Ponds whispered, lifting his gaze to meet Windu’s worriedly. Windu stood up, going to stand by the window, staring out. 

“I’m not like Obi-Wan, Ponds,” Windu said quietly, still staring out the window. “I’m not affectionate and I’m not…I’m not interested in being _physical_.”

Ponds stood up, going to stand by Windu’s side. 

“I’m not like my brothers, Mace,” Ponds murmured. “I’m not sex driven like a lot of them. It’s not important to me.”

“You deserve someone who…who can love you as freely as you deserve,” Windu said, glancing at Ponds. “I’ve never done this before and you deserve more.”

“I just want you, Mace,” Ponds said desperately. “Our relationship now doesn’t have to change much, it just becomes something more.”

“Something more?”

“It doesn’t have to be sex and pet-names or overly gross affectionate stuff like Obi-Wan and Cody do,” Ponds said, smiling weakly. “It can just be that you know I’m here for you in a deeper way if you need me. If you want to vent or just watch crappy holo films or just sleep beside someone, I’ll be here. I’ll be here waiting for you to get back from missions, to see you off, to make sure you’re okay.”

Windu turned to look at Ponds fully now.

“We can move slow, Mace,” Ponds said. “I-I just want something more with you, to know that I have someone.”

Windu frowned slightly, deep brown eyes thoughtful. “Something more,” he murmured once again. “Not sexual but more like soul mates?”

“Soul mates?” Ponds questioned softly.

“It’s like two halves of a soul in different bodies,” Windu explained, giving a small smile. “A deeper understanding, a deeper connection between them than anybody could ever have.”

“Is that how Obi-Wan and Cody formed their soul bond?” Ponds asked curiously, quite pleased with how Mace was taking this and how he saw the relationship between them. 

“Yes,” Windu sighed, finally moving to sit on the couch with Ponds following closely. Ponds sat beside him, watching him closely but not pushing him. Windu hesitated somewhat as he looked to Ponds, brown eyes still unsure.

“Are you sure you want to waste your time on me?” Windu asked quietly. “I’ve never done this, never had a physical relationship, even when my age mates went into the city to get that need met, I never felt the urge.”

“Sex isn’t important to me, Mace,” Ponds reassured him, knowing Windu was nervous, having never been in a relationship and not used to having someone’s attention on him in such a way.

“Our relationship won’t change,” Ponds continued gently. “We’re still going to be close; we’re still going to be best friends, but this is just something more…something we’ll take slowly and take it as it comes.” Ponds gave a small smile, gently touching Windu’s shoulder. “But I just want you, Mace, there’s no one else I’ve ever cared for more.” 

Windu gave a nod, taking in a deep breath.

Well, he did say he wanted to try to change things, to change the Jedi for the better, and seeing how happy and light Obi-Wan was since he had formed a relationship with Cody…well, it couldn’t be too bad.

Windu’s eyes drifted to Ponds once more. Ponds had been so understanding and so willing to go slow for him, even when knowing that Mace had no interest in sex.   
Ponds just smiled warmly and reassuringly at him.

Ponds had said their relationship would still, more or less, be the same…just something _more_.

He wouldn’t mind trying it for Ponds.

 

Rex smiled warmly back at Bant as she settled down on the cushions, smiling warmly back at him. 

“So how have you been, Rex?” Bant asked. “How has it been having Cody back?”

“It’s been good,” Rex said, smiling slightly before he hesitated, “but it brings back memories as well.”

Bant nodded in understanding. “Of course, he went through the worst of times with you and you’ll remember that when you see him…it’s not all bad,” Bant reassured him quickly. “I mean, you and Cody will be closer than ever, since you went fought and protected each other, but there’s still that lingering thought of what you actually went through when you look at him…am I correct?”

Rex gave a small nod, fidgeting. 

“Cody saw me at my worst,” he said, voice hoarse. “He saw the first time Tris…” Rex broke off, horrified that he almost came out with that. Bant just tilted her head gently. 

“The first time Tris hurt you?” she asked gently. Rex’s bottom lip trembled as he fisted his hands against his leg.

He gave a small nod, a hoarse sob breaking free of his control as he remembered that first time; the first time Tris raped him as Cody was forced to watch on, horrified.

“They made Cody watch,” Rex said, voice cracking. “Cody looked away at first but Tris started to get rough, started to hurt me and make me cry out in pain, just to force Cody to watch. Every time he closed his eyes or looked away, he hurt me more until Cody looked back.”

Rex swallowed harshly, not able to meet Bant’s gaze. 

“I still remembered seeing how horrified Cody was, to see the pain in his eyes as he watched me get hurt…to see the _fear_ cross his face as Tram told him what was going to happen to us,” Rex gave another rough sob, scrubbing at his face roughly. “I think that’s when it really hit me.”

“What did, Rex?” Bant asked gently. 

“The pain that Tris caused me, I-I could get over it,” Rex said carefully. “We were trained on Kamino to push aside our pain, a-and I think I could have pushed that pain, that memory aside,” Rex took in a breath, not catching the look of worry that flashed across Bant’s face at that admission.

“The worst part was seeing Cody’s eyes, to see the horror and the fear as Tram told him our fate – that was when I knew we were in trouble,” Rex whispered, shuddering. “Cody doesn’t get scared and to see him so horrified…I knew we were in trouble.”

Bant just stared at him for a moment, gathering her thoughts.

“You’d push aside that pain?” she repeated gently. “How would you have coped with it, with the memory?”

Rex gave a jerky shrug. “We went through torture training on Kamino, we learnt quickly that if we didn’t find ways to cope, we wouldn’t survive – so many brothers didn’t survive.”

“Rex,” Bant whispered, somewhat horrified. “I know you believe that you should be able to just push this aside, but you went through severe trauma and it was continuous for several months. You’re coping a lot better than I believed you would, than a lot of people would have if they had been in the same situation…but this isn’t something you should push aside, it will fester otherwise.”

Rex nodded, shivering somewhat.

“I am very proud of you though, Rex,” Bant said gently, surprising Rex. She smiled sadly as he looked up, meeting her gaze with a surprised look across his face. 

“I’m proud that you’re willing to talk about this, to help yourself overcome the trauma,” she continued, knowing she needed to praise Rex, knowing he and the other clones needed that positive affirmation. “I am so proud of the admission you made today, that you took that step to talk about it, despite the pain it brought you.”

“I-I feel scared,” Rex whispered. Bant shifted slowly, gently reaching her webbed hand out, though she held back, waiting for Rex to nod and give her permission before she finally rested her hand on his knee. 

“I know, Rex,” Bant reassured him gently. “It takes a while for the fear to dissipate, but talking does help, though you may find yourselves with nightmares or flashbacks within the coming days. Sadly, whenever you try to overcome the trauma, it always tries to dig its hooks into you by making you relive it…but by talking, it does help, it may not seem like that at first but don’t give up on hope, don’t give up on yourself or your brothers.”

“I won’t,” Rex promised. Bant smiled at him warmly, patting his knee.

“We’ll leave it at that today, if you don’t want to talk anymore that is,” Bant said, tilting her head slightly. Rex shook his head, feeling exhausted.

“I-I think that’s enough,” he murmured. Bant nodded in understanding.

“Can I ask one final thing before we finish?” she asked. “You can refuse to answer me, you always have that right.”

Rex gave a nod. 

“You said you knew it was bad when you saw the fear in Cody’s eyes,” Bant said carefully. “I take it Cody was always your rock?”

“Cody has always been brave,” Rex said, smiling slightly. “He doesn’t get scared easily, even on Kamino, even through torture training, Cody remained strong. I mean, you can tell when he’s worried when a battle is going wrong and his men and his Jedi were in danger, he had this worry in his eyes…but he was never fearful, not like he was then when Tram was whispering in his ear.”

Bant nodded thoughtfully. “Thank you, Rex, that will help when I talk to Cody tomorrow.”

Rex nodded again, smiling weakly. 

“It does make me happy to see how close you are,” Bant told him as they stood up, stretching out. “There’s just something so pure about the love and adoration between you two.”

 

Fives slowly woke up, hearing water running. Yawning, he sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he looked around, fumbling for the chrono.

He sighed when he saw how early it was, looking around at the pitch black room. Fives’s eyes rested on the door to the ‘fresher, seeing light emitting from under the door. He stood up, carefully walking over.

“Rex?” he called gently as stood outside the door. He knew Rex was a little shaky after his appointment with Bant today. Rex had told him that he had told Bant about something that happened, something that he didn’t elaborate to Fives – Fives understood that Rex wasn’t comfortable talking about what happened and probably more so to Fives since Fives was his _cyare_ , so he wasn’t going to push, not until Rex was ready.

Fives finally opened the door when he heard a choked sob. 

His heart broke when he saw the scene in front of him.

Rex was sitting curled up on the bottom of the shower, hugging his knees close as the water rushed over him. 

“ _Cyar’ika_ ,” Fives cooed softly as he knelt beside the shower, next to Rex. He didn’t reach out, allowing Rex to make the first move. He knew in situations like this sometimes Rex didn’t like to be touched, so allowing Rex to make the first move was always the best option. 

“I-I need him off me,” Rex whimpered, curling up tighter. “I can still _feel_ him on me.”

“Oh, Rex,” Fives murmured, heartbroken, before he moved onto reassuring Rex. “You’re safe, love,” Fives crooned gently. “He’s gone and can’t hurt you again.”

“I-I know, but I can still feel him on me,” Rex said, frustrated. Fives gave a small nod, though he couldn’t fully understand the sentiment. Fives just sat beside Rex, watching him quietly. 

“Do you want me to sit with you, Rex?” Fives asked softly. Rex shook his head, glancing at Fives sadly.

“I-I just don’t want to be touched, Fives, I’m sorry.”

“Never apologize for that, _cyar’ika_ ,” Fives hushed him gently. “It’s okay to feel like that, you don’t need to apologize.” 

Fives did take action though when he noticed Rex start to shiver. He reached into the shower, wincing as he felt the ice cold water that was hitting Rex’s skin like ice bullets. He stood up and turned the water off before reaching around and grabbing a large towel, draping it around Rex. 

“Can you stand up, Rex?” Fives asked. “We need to get you dried off so you don’t get sick.”

Rex gave a shaky nod, standing up. Rex’s hands were shaking as he clutched at the towel around him, shivering quite madly. Fives watched as he struggled to hold onto the towel with his shaking and cold fingers.

“Can I help you?” Fives asked carefully. Rex glanced at Fives, his golden eyes looking over Fives warmly before he gave a shaky nod. 

Fives carefully reached out, making sure his movements were slow so he didn’t startle Rex and so Rex could watch his every move, and gently took the towel. He gently dried Rex off, talking soothingly to him as he did, just trying to distract Rex as he dried him off.

“There we go,” Fives said, smiling warmly at Rex once he had him appropriately dried. “Let me get you your sleepwear, huh? The nice, cosy, warm set.”

Rex nodded and Fives quickly hurried out, grabbing the sleepwear set and coming back into the bathroom. Rex quickly dressed and Fives grabbed the towel again, rubbing it through Rex’s hair to dry it properly, making it soft and fluffy. 

Fives looked over Rex now that he was dressed. He was wearing soft black sleepwear that Padme had brought him. The sleepwear was a pair of soft, almost fluffy, black pants and a long sleeve, button up black sleep shirt. 

He looked nice and cosy and _safe_.

“Do you think you can come back to bed?” Fives asked instead, turning his gaze up to meet Rex’s, though Rex averted his eyes. Rex gave a small nod and Fives held out his hand. Rex gave a small, weak smile as he took Fives’s warm hand, grasping it tightly.

Fives let go once they got to the bed, climbing in. Rex hesitated for a moment before he climbed in as well. 

Rex sat up for a moment, seeming hesitant, before he quickly shifted so he could curl up with Fives, shivering slightly. Fives wrapped an arm around him, though he kept it loose for Rex to pull back or away if he wanted to. 

“Are you okay, Rex?” Fives asked gently as Rex buried his face into Fives’s chest. 

“J-Just memories,” Rex mumbled, trembling. “B-Bant said t-that talking would bring back flashbacks b-but i-in the end, talking will be more helpful to overcome it.”

Fives nodded as he rubbed Rex’s back comfortingly.

“It will get better,” Fives said, voice quiet but promising. “You’re so brave, Rex, so brave.”

“D-Doesn’t feel like it,” Rex mumbled against Fives’s chest, nuzzling into his warm, bare skin. 

“I know it doesn’t, but you are,” Fives promised. “You’re talking to someone so you can get better – I mean, how many of us are so scared of talking, to the point that brothers would rather take their own lives, but you’re talking so you can get better. Besides everything you just lived through, everything you survived, you’re talking about it despite the pain and memories it brings.”

Rex just remained silent, but he curled up tighter with Fives. Fives turned his head, pressing a kiss against Rex’s temple. 

“You’re safe now, Rex,” Fives reassured him. “I’ve got your back and I’ll always be here for you.”

“I love you, _Rayshe’a_ ,’ Rex whispered against Fives’s skin. Fives startled slightly before he smiled warmly and loving at Rex as Rex peeked up at him.

“I love you too, Rex, always,” Fives promised him. He held Rex close as he felt Rex drift off to sleep against his chest, lulled to sleep by Fives’s heart beat and comforting warmth.   
He stared at Rex’s blond hair, watching as Rex’s back rose and fell steadily as he slept. 

Fives truly did love him and he knew, no matter how hard things got, no matter how bad the flashbacks and nightmares became as Rex opened up more about the horrors he went through as a pleasure slave, he knew that he would never leave Rex’s side. 

He would _never_ give up on him, never let Rex feel like he was alone or unloved.

He loved him too much, no matter what Rex was forced to go through, he would never think less of him for that. 

Fives thought Rex was one of the bravest, strongest men he had ever met…and he felt so lucky to have him in his life, so that was why he would stay by Rex’s side, through the best times and through the worst times.

It was what love was about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of your comments have meant so, so much to me, so thank you!
> 
> I was asked about more Fives/Rex since I've been focusing on Cody/Obi-Wan since they've only just been reunited, but I thought a check in on how Rex was truly going would fit in here.
> 
> Keep letting me know how you're liking things :)


	20. Sparring

Obi-Wan hummed to himself as he made breakfast for himself and Cody, looking up and smiling warmly at Cody as he appeared from the bedroom, groggily rubbing his eyes.

“Morning, love,” Obi-Wan greeted softly. “How did you sleep?”

Cody sat down heavily at the table, yawning as he nodded, his hand scratching sleepily at the soft sleep shirt he was wearing.

“Fine,” Cody said, voice still heavy with sleep. Obi-Wan carried over their breakfast, placing the plate in front of Cody before he went back to the kitchen to grab the glasses of juice. Cody smiled thankfully as he took the glass from Obi-Wan. 

“Are you ready for your session with Bant today?” Obi-Wan asked as he started his breakfast. Cody gave a small shrug.

“I guess,” he sighed. “I’m just nervous.”

“I know, love, I know,” Obi-Wan smiled warmly at him. “Are you okay to do this though? I don’t want to force you if you’re not ready.”

“No, I want to try it,” Cody said, giving a shaky smile. “Rex says she’s helping, so I want to try it.”

Obi-Wan nodded, both of them lapsing into easy conversation as they finished their breakfast. Obi-Wan tidied up as Cody went to shower and get dressed for the day. He could feel Cody’s nervousness through their bond – which he had reopened as soon as he had received the call from Cody – and smiled sadly, glancing at the door to their bedroom. 

He knew Cody was nervous about talking about what happened and he didn’t blame him. He struggled to talk about Melida/Daan for months afterwards, he struggled to talk about what happened to Qui-Gon for years afterwards. Obi-Wan couldn’t even begin to think about the horror Cody went through, to even comprehend what he had suffered and he would never try to pretend that he knew what Cody went through. 

“You all right, Obi?” 

Obi-Wan turned at the soft voice, seeing Cody standing there, looking concerned. 

“You had that look on your face,” Cody continued as he came to stand beside Obi-Wan, leaning against the bench. “What were you thinking?”

“Just about you,” Obi-Wan said, smiling at him, before he turned to him. “I just wanted you to know that you don’t need to feel pressured to talk, that you have the right to say no whenever you want.”

Cody smiled warmly at him, taking Obi-Wan’s and interlacing his fingers with his. 

“Thanks, Obi,” Cody murmured. 

“Do you want me to walk you to your appointment?” Obi-Wan asked. Cody gave a small nod.

“Please,” Cody said quietly, giving a shiver. Obi-Wan squeezed his hand reassuringly, smiling at him. 

“Let’s go, dear one.”

They walked down the hallways of the Temple, heading towards the room Bant had booked for her sessions with Cody and Rex. 

“I heard Tup has become popular amongst the younglings,” Obi-Wan told Cody, chuckling fondly. “They love playing with his hair apparently.”

“He’s a good kid,” Cody agreed. “It’s hard not to love him.” 

They stopped outside of the room, with Obi-Wan turning to Cody.

“Are you going to stay with me?” Cody asked quietly. Obi-Wan shook his head.

“No, this is something you need to do without me,” Obi-Wan told him. “Bant is lovely, she’ll take care of you.”

“What will you do?”

“Go check on Anakin, see how he’s going,” Obi-Wan said. “I understand if you want some time after the session to decompress, so just let me know when you’re ready for me to come back.”

Cody gave a small nod, both of them turning at the sound of footsteps. 

“Bant,” Obi-Wan greeted the Mon Calamari warmly as she stopped beside them.

“Stubborn nerf,” Bant greeted back fondly before she turned her attention to Cody. “And you must be Cody.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Bant smiled at him. “Just call me Bant, Cody, please.” 

“I’ll leave you two to it,” Obi-Wan said, gently touching Cody’s back. “Let me know when you’re done, love.”

“Sure,” Cody said, nodding. Obi-Wan smiled once more before he left, knowing Cody was in good hands with Bant.

“Come on in, Cody,” Bant said as she opened the door. “Get comfortable.” 

Cody walked into the room, blinking at the soft piles of cushions and small water fountain in the corner that was trickling along soothingly. 

“Rex was surprised by the room as well,” Bant laughed softly as she walked around Cody to settle on her own pile of cushions. “He was expecting white walls and hard furniture.”

“I was expecting that too,” Cody admitted as he lowered himself on a pile of cushions, getting comfortable. 

“I prefer using the meditation rooms,” Bant said. “They’re more comforting and soothing.”

Cody nodded, trying to calm his nervous beating heart. 

Bant smiled reassuringly at him. “I know this is new for you, so we’re going to take it nice and slowly.”

“Y-Yeah, Rex said you don’t push,” Cody said quietly. Bant nodded.

“I don’t believe in pushing you if I can tell you’re not ready,” Bant reassured him. “Making you speak and relive events before you’re ready causes more harm than good, so we’ll go at your pace.”

Cody nodded, swallowing nervously. 

“So how are you going, Cody?” Bant asked. “How have you found being back with Obi-Wan and your brothers?”

“It’s taking some getting used to,” Cody admitted, “but I’m glad I’m home.”

Bant nodded thoughtfully. 

“I-It’s hard though,” Cody continued, heart thumping madly as he just wanted to get this out. “It doesn’t…it doesn’t feel _real_ , like I’m going to wake up and I’ll be back there.”

“You’ve been away for so long, it will take a while for you to get used to being back, to get back into the groove of things, but you will,” Bant reassured him. “How is your recovery from the spice going?”

Cody stiffened at that, looking at Bant with wide-eyes. 

“I am a Healer, Cody, I’ve read your file so I could see how your health is,” Bant said softly. “I won’t pry into the reason why you were given the spice, I just want to know how you’re coping with the after-effects.”

“I still have shakes,” Cody admitted, staring at his hands as he flexed them, “but the medication that Healer Che gave me is helping.” 

Bant nodded once more, seeming to gather her thoughts before she met Cody’s gaze once more.

“Can you tell me what makes you uncomfortable at the moment?” Bant asked him gently. “It’s just so I know what to be careful of.”

Cody hesitated for a moment before breathing in deeply and looking at Bant. “People being angry and yelling,” Cody started to list quietly. 

“Why does that scare you?”

“Because that’s when I got hurt,” whispered Cody. Bant nodded, not pushing that further. 

“Anything else? Being touched or certain words?”

“I think I’m okay with touch as long as I know it’s coming,” Cody said carefully. “I-I don’t like the word ‘Master’.”

Bant nodded once again. 

“Okay, so with touch,” she started, “you’re okay as long as no one touches you without you seeing them so you can be prepared for it?” 

Cody nodded.

“Well, that helps greatly, Cody, thank you,” Bant said, voice praising. “How have you been sleeping?”

 

Obi-Wan smiled at Fives as Fives opened the door, smiling tiredly back.

“Skywalker and Echo aren’t here,” Fives told him, stepping aside to let Obi-Wan in. “Rex…Rex had a tough night.”

Obi-Wan looked to Fives in concern. “Is he okay? Where is he?”

“He’s sleeping,” Fives said quietly. “He opened up to Bant yesterday and it left him with nightmares and flashbacks. I woke up to him sitting in the shower, not wanting to be touched.”

Obi-Wan frowned at that, rubbing his beard. “He doesn’t like to be held after nightmares?”

“He does occasionally, but there are times he just doesn’t want to be touched,” Fives said, cocking his head slightly. “Doesn’t Cody do that? I-I mean, I kinda expect it after everything they’ve gone through. Sometimes Rex doesn't want to be touched, other times he's very clingy.”

Obi-Wan gave a small shake of his head. “Cody has never said anything about not wanting to be touched,” he said slowly. “I do make sure he sees me moving towards him or I ask him beforehand just so he knows it’s me.”

Fives shrugged as he sat down.

“I guess everyone reacts differently to different things,” Fives said, prompting Obi-Wan to nod thoughtfully, though he was still concerned about Cody now.

He resolved to speak about it with Cody once they were back in the apartment.

“Do you know where Anakin and Echo are then?” Obi-Wan asked, changing the subject.

“Yeah, they’re in Skywalker’s apartment,” Fives answered with a sad smile. “Torrent decided to go visit the barracks since Rex isn’t up for visitors today.”

Obi-Wan nodded, reaching out with the Force to check on Rex. Rex felt uneasy, even as he dreamed, so Obi-Wan sent a calming wave to him, hoping to ease his discomfort and fear.

“He seems to be sleeping deeply,” Obi-Wan said, watching as Fives’s eyebrows raised in surprise before he smirked, chuckling softly as he muttered, “Force things.”

“Though he does feel a little uneasy and a bit fearful,” Obi-Wan continued, watching as Fives glanced over his shoulder towards the bedroom door, frowning worriedly. Obi-Wan’s heart warmed at the pure look of concern in Fives’s golden eyes, knowing just how much Fives loved and adored Rex. He stepped forward and placed his hand on Fives’s shoulder.

“I’ll leave you to take care of him,” Obi-Wan said, smiling reassuringly. Fives nodded, smiling back at Obi-Wan as Obi-Wan turned and quietly left. Fives sighed once the door closed behind him. 

He got to his feet and walked into the bedroom, seeing Rex curled around the pillow, the blankets tangled around his legs as though he had been tossing and turning. Fives toed his shoes off before he carefully climbed into the bed, resting his head on the pillow beside Rex’s. Rex’s nose scrunched up slightly as he felt movement, but otherwise stayed fast asleep. 

Fives smiled softly as he examined Rex’s face, taking in the sharp cheekbones and the ridiculously long eyelashes resting against his cheeks as he slept. Rex was one of the few _vode_ who ended up with long, dark eyelashes compared to the others. They framed his golden-brown eyes, making the colour within them seem deeper. 

Fives’s eyes continued their journey as he took in each small, faint freckle sporadically placed across Rex’s face, though there were a few across the bridge of his nose. His gaze drifted to Rex’s soft lips which were parted slightly as he dreamed before he traced the faint scar across Rex’s chin with his finger. 

Rex snuffled slightly, twitching as Fives’s finger lightly traced his scar, his golden-brown eyes tiredly blinking open. He smiled tiredly at Fives, shifting closer so he could rest his forehead against Fives’s, sighing contently. 

“You okay, Rex’ika?” Fives murmured gently as he shifted his hand to gently rub up and down Rex’s arm. Rex gave a tired hum, nodding slightly.

“Yeah, tired,” Rex mumbled, eyes fluttering shut. “Stay with me?”

Fives smiled at him, snuggling closer. Rex hummed contently at that, wriggling closer so he was held closely and comfortingly in Fives’s arms. 

“I’ve got you,” Fives promised quietly, smiling as Rex gently pressed a quick kiss to his mouth. “I’ve always got you.”

 

Obi-Wan soon found himself in Anakin’s apartment, watching as Anakin and Echo poured over the datapads, grumbling to each other as they jabbed at the screens. He shook his head fondly as he went to open the door when it chimed. Mace was standing there, feeling oddly at ease in the Force, as he smiled in greeting at Obi-Wan.

“Both of them still attached to the datapads?” Mace asked as he followed Obi-Wan inside. 

“Of course.”

Windu paused by the table, looking over their work. 

“How is it going?” he asked. 

“We’re trying to figure out frequencies to use to make the chip breakdown, but there’s so many we have to test,” Echo sighed heavily, rubbing his eyes tiredly. 

“And we haven’t gotten any further in decoding this language!” Anakin growled, frustrated. “No programs recognize it!” 

Windu gave a nod. “You two need to have a break,” he said.

“But, Master!” Anakin started to protest when Windu held up his hand, giving a small shake of his head. 

“You’re both tired and frustrated and that makes it easy to miss things,” Windu said carefully. “I know this is important, but you do need to take a break every now and again so you can come back to it with fresh eyes.” 

“He’s right, you know,” Obi-Wan added, voice soothing. 

“Also, I thought it’d be a good time to have a break since Wolffe is being deployed tomorrow, Echo, so I thought you’d want to spend some time with him,” Windu said. Echo’s eyes widened and he gave a nod, looking to Anakin who smiled at him.

“Have fun, Echo,” Anakin murmured, watching as Echo quickly got to his feet, smiling shyly at Windu and Obi-Wan before he hurried off to find Wolffe. Anakin sighed as he leaned back in his chair, stretching out his long limbs.

“And I have a plan for you and Obi-Wan, Skywalker,” Windu said, smirking slightly. Anakin exchanged a look with Obi-Wan.

“Should I be scared?” Anakin joked, feeling more at ease with Windu knowing that the man didn’t hate him.

Windu’s smirk grew. “A little,” he said. “Since we’re lying to the Chancellor about why you can’t go see him…and for good reason,” Windu added, seeing Anakin’s unease. “I thought we’d actually make truth of the lie and have you and Obi-Wan do a sparring demonstration for the Initiates.”

“So…not teaching?” 

Windu snorted. “A bit of teaching while you spar each other.”

“That sounds perfect,” Obi-Wan said, smiling. 

“You’re only saying that because they like you,” Anakin said with a grin.

“All the Initiates can’t stop talking about either of you,” Windu grumbled. “Always wanting to be ‘The Negotiator’ or the ‘Hero with No Fear’,” he teased.

“Hey, don’t diss the name,” Anakin laughed. “I didn’t choose it!”

“Ah, pity the public didn’t see you as a youngling,” Windu smirked, a teasing grin pulling at the corner of his lips. “I lost count of how many times I found you asleep or stuck in weird places.”

“Far too many,” Obi-Wan agreed, shaking his head. Anakin rolled his eyes as he stood up.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, now are we going to show these Initiates how it’s done or not?” Anakin said, hands on hips. 

“They’ll be in Training Salle C, enjoy yourselves,” Windu said, grinning. 

Obi-Wan and Anakin left soon after that, leaving Windu to have a look at the datapads himself. 

“Is it just me or is he a lot more easy going?” Anakin asked as they walked down the hallways.

“That’s pretty much what Mace is actually like with his close friends,” Obi-Wan told him. “Though he does seem more at ease, happier to joke and tease. I’m curious as to what’s happened.”

“You don’t think he and Ponds, ya know…?” Anakin said, waggling his eyebrows as he elbowed Obi-Wan in the side. 

“Anakin!” Obi-Wan groaned, shaking his head and elbowing Anakin back. “Mace isn’t like that. He’s not interested in having sex.”

“Ugh, that’s a mental image that I could have done without,” Anakin said, shuddering. Obi-Wan looked to Anakin, eyebrow raised, chuckling with mirth.

“Are you imagining Mace having sex with Ponds?”

“Urghhh, Obi-Wan, stop putting the images in my head!” Anakin groaned, pressing the heels of the palms of his hands against his eyes as though that would drive the images out. Obi-Wan laughed at his brother’s horror.

“So, did you go see Padme last night?” Obi-Wan asked, sparing his brother from any more teasing. 

“Yeah, she said she’d been here earlier but that was when Echo and I were testing frequencies,” Anakin said, happy for the change of subject. “I didn’t tell her what we were doing,” Anakin said carefully. “I trust her, I mean, I trust her with my life and I’d trust her to keep this a secret…but I don’t want it being used against her or her becoming involved if the, uh, mastermind behind this all senses something is up,” Anakin finished, keeping everything vague as they were walking through the Temple with the chance of being overheard by gossips. 

Obi-Wan nodded in understanding. “I get that,” he agreed. “I’d trust Bail as well, but we don’t want to put them in danger and the slightest wrong wording or slip up could tip off whoever is behind this.”

They cut off talk about the chips as they approached the training salle, already hearing the chatter of excited Initiates within. 

“Hey, Skyguy, Obi-Wan!” a cheerful voice greeted. Anakin turned to Obi-Wan in surprise as Ahsoka approached.

“She’s calling you ‘Obi-Wan’?” he asked, surprised.

“The term Master is making Cody uneasy, so I’ve asked Ahsoka to just call me by my name,” Obi-Wan explained as Ahsoka and Barriss Offee approached, with Barriss staring at Ahsoka in horror that she had called a Council Member by his name. 

“Ah, I see,” Anakin murmured. “I understand that.” 

Obi-Wan rested a hand on Anakin’s shoulder briefly as a dark look passed over Anakin’s blue eyes. He understood that Anakin’s past was still a hard issue for him, not that Obi-Wan blamed him, it was actually something he truly understood.

“You can’t call a Council Member by his name!” Barriss was hissing at Ahsoka as they got closer.

“I asked her to, Padawan Offee,” Obi-Wan said with a smile. “It is quite all right.” 

“What are you doing here, Snips?” Anakin asked, diverting that topic for now. Ahsoka grinned.

“I heard you and Obi-Wan were giving a sparring demonstration and we couldn’t miss that,” Ahsoka said.

“Well, we mustn’t keep the Initiates waiting if you’re going to watch,” Obi-Wan said, leading them into the room. The room immediately fell into silence as Obi-Wan and Anakin walked onto the mats, with Ahsoka and Barriss scrambling to the viewing area with the Initiates.

“Good afternoon, Initiates,” Obi-Wan greeted. “As you have been told, myself and Master Skywalker will be giving a sparring demonstration today. We’ll be telling you about the different forms we use and how to defend yourself against lightsaber wielding opponents.”

“Like Count Dooku?” a shy voice asked. 

“Well, hopefully you never meet him, but yes, like him,” Obi-Wan said reassuringly. 

“We’ll show how it’s done,” Anakin said, grinning at them all. 

“All right, Anakin, all right,” Obi-Wan chuckled. “Training lightsabers?”

“I’d rather not lose another limb,” Anakin retorted. Obi-Wan rolled his eyes but grabbed his own lightsaber off his belt and held out his hand for Anakin’s.

“Ahsoka, could you hold these, please?” Obi-Wan asked before floating the lightsabers to her. “Nobody tell Master Yoda I did that, I’d rather not be whacked across the shins.”

Anakin gave a theatrical gasp as the Initiates all giggled to another, “But, Master Obi-Wan, that was a blatant misuse of the Force.”

Obi-Wan gave him an unimpressed look. “Shall we list all the times you did that then, my old Padawan?”

“Yeah, perhaps not.”

“That’s what I thought,” Obi-Wan smirked. “For that you can go over and grab the training sabers.”

Anakin poked his tongue out at Obi-Wan, gaining giggles from the Initiates. 

“Which ones do you want?” he called out once he reached the wall. “Numbing or stinging?”

“Go with stinging,” Obi-Wan called back as he shrugged his outer robe off, floating that over to one of the Initiates who grabbed it and hugged it tightly. Anakin walked over with two training sabers he knew would fit Obi-Wan and himself, knowing the type of weight and grip Obi-Wan preferred. 

“Catch,” Anakin called, tossing the lightsaber he had chosen for Obi-Wan over. Obi-Wan caught it easily, activating it. He twirled it around a bit, getting a feel for it, as he checked his bond with Cody just to make sure he was okay. 

Cody was feeling a bit nervous and unsure, but he seemed to be okay, sending out reassurance to him back across their bond. 

Obi-Wan turned his focus back on Anakin, who was watching him closely. Obi-Wan nodded to him as he focused his attention on the upcoming spar. 

It would be good to stop him worrying about Cody for a little while at least. 

“So here is when you get into your opening posture for an upcoming fight,” Obi-Wan started. “I know it sounds odd since you’ll be fighting against someone who probably wants to kill you, but even they will do it. It’s good for centering yourself but it also allows you to observe for your opponent for however brief a time.”

“Both yourself and your opponent will use this brief moment to measure each other up,” Anakin continued. “It’s then when you decide whether you go on the offense or defense.”

“I tend to favour defensive when I start so I can get a measure of my opponent,” Obi-Wan explained. “This is why I choose Soresu as my opening form.”

“I’m more of an attack now ask questions later kind of person,” Anakin joked. “That is why I use Djem So.” 

“What do you think, Anakin?” Obi-Wan asked as they circled each other on the mat. “First to ten hits or first to tap out?”

“First to tap out,” Anakin grinned. 

And with that they both flew at each other to the gasps of the Initiates. 

They both teased each other as they continued to spar, blocking each other’s attacks, trying to be the one who refused to tap out. 

“You don’t need to stick to one form while you fight,” Obi-Wan continued to lecture as he effortlessly countered against Anakin’s attacks. “You will mix and match different forms and different moves to suit the fight, the terrain and your opponent.”

Obi-Wan leapt over Anakin at that, spinning in mid-air to land a hit against Anakin’s rear, sending him jumping forward with a yelp. Obi-Wan grinned, lazily twirling his lightsaber as Anakin turned to face him, scowling playfully as he rubbed his stinging rump.

“Oh, it’s on, old man.”

Anakin flew at Obi-Wan and the fight was on once again. 

“This is a reason why it’s good to be open with your forms,” Obi-Wan spoke up, making Anakin groan as he deflected another hit. “If you stick with just one your movements become predictable…,” Obi-Wan hissed slightly as Anakin managed to glance a blow against Obi-Wan’s bicep. “Good hit, Anakin.”

The spar continued in the same fashion, getting quicker and more fierce with every passing moment, with Obi-Wan and Anakin trying to one-up the other while throwing kid-friendly jibes and teasing each other, while teaching the Initiates at the same time.

It was Obi-Wan who made the winning move, managing to hit Anakin’s wrist and leaping up to kick the lightsaber hilt out of Anakin’s hand as the sting of the training saber loosened his grip. 

“Solah,” Anakin sighed as the tip of Obi-Wan’s lightsaber rested at his throat. Obi-Wan pulled back, panting, grinning at Anakin, who was breathing heavily as well.

“Good spar, Anakin,” Obi-Wan praised. “I thought you had me at a few points.” 

“I’ll get you one day,” Anakin promised with a grin. Obi-Wan chuckled as he turned to the wide-eyed Initiates. 

“Anakin and I used different forms and different variations today,” Obi-Wan told them. “Even though we’ve fought and trained side-by-side for years now, with different forms to call upon, you can never quite tell what the other will do or what they’ll choose to use next.” 

“All great Knights and Masters won’t rely on just one form,” Anakin agreed. “We have our chosen base form, of course, but we adapt and grow and mix our forms from there to find what suits us best, what suits that situation best.”

“Very sound advice.”

“Master Drallig,” Obi-Wan greeted, giving a small bow. Drallig gave a small bow back. 

“You have several forms to use,” Drallig continued. “Each form has their own unique movements and manoeuvres, using a mixture of these keeps you more open to adapt…however that does not mean that you should try use all of these movements in one battle, there are forms that some of you won’t be able to master due to numerous reasons, but learn the forms you can master _well_ , to the point of perfection if you can. It will keep you alive.”

“Very ominous,” Anakin muttered to Obi-Wan, who bit back a smile.

“Why shouldn’t we aim to master them all?” an Initiate piped up. 

“There are some forms that don’t suit you and would cause you more liabilities if you tried,” Drallig explained. “Yes, you should try every single one of them so you can use them if need be, but at the end of the day mastering three to four of the forms to switch between is the best option.”

“Why won’t some forms suit us?”

“Let’s take Jar’kai for example,” Drallig spoke up. “Young Ahsoka here uses Jar’kai while many Knights would struggle, despite them having mastered Ataru. She finds having two lightsabers suits her better, while others struggle with that, preferring just the one. It is wise to learn how to use two lightsabers though, you never know when that situation will arise, though very few will master that ability.”

Anakin smiled at Ahsoka as she flushed under Drallig’s subtle praise. 

“I believe you’re taking over this class now, Master Drallig?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Yes, they are my next class, thank you for that demonstration.” 

“Any time,” Obi-Wan said, giving the training sabers to Anakin to put away as he went to retrieve his robe and their lightsabers.

Ahsoka and Barriss quickly scrambled to them as they left the training salle.

“That was so cool!” Ahsoka laughed. “You should have heard some of the Initiates, they were amazed at how fast you two move!”

“Yes, they were quite taken aback at how hard you went at each other too,” Barriss agreed. “I believe they are a little awestruck.”

“We aim to please,” Anakin grinned as he took his lightsaber back from Ahsoka, hanging it onto his belt. 

They split up shortly after with Ahsoka dragging Barriss off to get something to eat while Anakin decided to go back to his apartment to take another look at the chips.

 

Obi-Wan headed back to his apartment, smiling as opened the door to find Cody sitting on the couch. Cody smiled weakly at him as Obi-Wan came to sit beside him.

“How was your session?” he asked gently. 

“It was different,” Cody admitted, “but Bant is nice.”

“She definitely is,” Obi-Wan murmured in agreement. Cody leaned against Obi-Wan’s side, sighing.

“Cody,” Obi-Wan started hesitantly.

“Mm?”

“Are you okay with me touching you?” 

Cody pulled back at that question, looking at Obi-Wan in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I spoke to Fives earlier and he told me that Rex had a bad night and just didn’t want to be touched,” Obi-Wan explained carefully, grey eyes watching Cody’s expressions. “Y-You’d tell me if you didn’t want me to touch you, right? You don’t let me touch you when you’re uncomfortable because you don’t think you have a choice, do you?”

Cody shook his head vehemently, grabbing Obi-Wan’s hands tightly.

“Obi-Wan, I’m fine with you touching me,” Cody told him firmly. “I _know_ that if I wasn’t comfortable, you wouldn’t force it. I see it every time you move your hand towards mine slowly so I have a chance to pull away if I want; I know it when you ask my permission through our bond for you to touch my hair. You’re not forcing me, Obi-Wan, I promise.”

Obi-Wan sighed, relieved. “I was just worried,” he admitted. “Rex doesn’t want to be touched a bit and I was worried that I was forcing you.”

“You’re not forcing me, Obi,” Cody reassured him. “I-I feel reassured when you touch me, just to hold my hand or stroke my hair, b-because it just reaffirms that you still want me…and I want that to continue because you’re the only one who doesn’t treat me like I’m going to break,” Cody rushed on as he saw Obi-Wan open his mouth. “I know you said you’d never leave me, but just feeling the small touches, so simple and innocent, it makes me feel _loved_ , and it makes me feel _safe_ because I know it’s you.”

“I was scared I was pushing you too soon.”

“We all heal differently,” Cody murmured, giving a weak smile. “You taught me that, remember, when you compared Wolffe losing his eye to Anakin losing his arm? Rex and I just have different ways of coping. He doesn’t want to be touched while I want to be held and reassured that I’m safe and I’m loved. He bakes when I just want to curl up under blankets and not move. We cope in different ways.”

Obi-Wan smiled at him, reaching up to gently cup Cody’s cheek in his hand. Cody nuzzled his face into Obi-Wan’s warm, calloused palm, pressing a kiss to his palm. 

“Promise me you’ll let me know if anything makes you uncomfortable,” Obi-Wan asked him quietly.

“I promise, Obi, no matter what,” Cody promised. Obi-Wan smiled warmly at him as his thumb gently rubbed against Cody’s cheekbone. 

“Kiss me?” Cody asked. 

“Always,” Obi-Wan promised, leaning forward to press his lips against Cody’s, feeling Cody relax.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken me a while, but work again...I'm currently trying to find a new job so I can get out of my current one, I just can't do it anymore...


	21. Dark Planning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Discussion of child grooming

Mace smiled to himself as he uploaded the recording to the holo page. He had given a recording device to one of the Initiates who were watching Anakin’s and Obi-Wan’s sparring lesson just to catch this sort of footage.

Obi-Wan and Anakin were beloved by the Republic, mostly, and it was good to just see them banter and laugh as they sparred one another, while also simultaneously teaching the Initiates. It would be good for the Republic to see them like this, especially when the footage was paired with the awed, hushed commentary of the Initiates.

“What’s got you smiling?” Ponds asked as he settled down beside him on the couch, yawning. Mace shifted the datapad so Ponds could see the video. Ponds snorted as he watched the two figures sparring on the screen. 

“Nice,” Ponds snorted, shaking his head. 

“I thought it’d be good,” Mace said, finishing up the upload of the video. “It showcases what some of our training is like, but it also gives Skywalker a solid alibi if Palpatine becomes suspicious.”

“What do you mean?” Ponds asked curiously. 

“Skywalker hasn’t felt comfortable around the Chancellor for some months now and has tried to limit the time he’s alone with that man,” Mace explained. “Lately if he hasn’t been able to come up with an excuse, Ahsoka has been accompanying under the guise of learning more about politics – though we haven’t told her the real reason either. Amidala has also been making excuses to steal Skywalker away or to integrate herself into the conversation.”

“How does the teaching help?” Ponds asked.

“One of Skywalker’s excuses to the Chancellor was that he was teaching classes or helping demonstrate in classes with Obi-Wan,” Mace continued. “I don’t blame Skywalker for trying to distance himself either, that man feels more colder and condescending every time I see him.”

Ponds nodded in agreement, shuddering slightly. “S-Something about him puts me on edge,” Ponds admitted. “Even before he threatened to have me reconditioned. A lot of the _vode_ , even on the Coruscant Guard, feel the same. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard Fox and Thorn say how uneasy they’ve felt when they were assigned to guard him…and Fox is a hard-ass.”

Mace nodded contemplatively.

“What does Skywalker sense when he’s near the Chancellor?” Ponds asked curiously. “What’s made him pull back from him? I mean, Skywalker used to always go to the Chancellor for everything, all the _vode_ knew that.” Ponds hesitated slightly and Mace tilted his head, catching the slight hesitation across Ponds’s face.

“Ponds?” he questioned gently.

“There were whispered, hushed discussions amongst some of the _vode_ , namely between the Coruscant Guard and some of the Commanders less likely to blab about the nature of the relationship between the Chancellor and Skywalker,” Ponds admitted carefully. “There were concerns with the Chancellor’s interests with Skywalker, I mean, we all heard about how he took interest in him from a young age, then we saw Skywalker literally drop whatever he was doing to go to the Chancellor when he called.”

Mace frowned. “What are you trying to say, Ponds? What were you all concerned about?”

“There were trainers on Kamino who…who took an interest in some of us when we were cadets,” Ponds explained carefully, looking at his hands. “We didn’t know what was truly happening until Jango found out what was happening and stormed into one of our joint training sessions and executed the trainers where they stood.”

“Ponds,” Mace whispered, horrified.

“They were grooming cadets,” Ponds said hoarsely. “They didn’t count on Jango caring as much as he did, to getting that cadet to open up and reassure him that he hadn’t done anything wrong, that he wasn’t in trouble.”

“T-They groomed you?” Mace said, eyes wide. Ponds blinked, looking up to see Mace had paled as he stared at Ponds with large brown eyes. Ponds reached out to squeeze Mace’s large hand reassuringly.

“Not me, Mace,” Ponds murmured. “I was one of Jango’s brood, they wouldn’t risk it with one of us…but there were a few of the other command clones they started to groom.”

“How did Jango find out? Are your brothers okay?”

“They didn’t get as far as you feared, Mace,” Ponds reassured him, “they had only really started, making the cadets touch them…but Jango had a suspicion about them and started talking to one of the _vode_ , just reassuring him that he wasn’t in trouble and that he shouldn’t be afraid to speak up if something didn’t feel right.” 

Mace swore under his breath, running his hand over his head in shock. 

“ _Kark_ ,” Mace whispered, voice shaking with horror.

“Jango stopped it before anything truly bad happened,” Ponds reassured him, “but you get why the _vode_ were worried when they heard about this relationship between Skywalker and Palpatine.”

“We never wanted to allow it,” Mace admitted, “but he was the Chancellor and we couldn’t refuse his order, so we kept a close eye on them in the beginning, for the first year or so, just to make sure nothing untoward was happening. It just seemed that Palpatine wanted to mentor the young hero that saved his planet.”

“And he was, until recently,” Ponds murmured. Mace gave a small nod.

“Skywalker went to talk to him shortly after Rex and Cody was kidnapped,” Mace explained quietly. “Palpatine kept brushing Anakin’s concerns asides and blamed Rex for getting himself captured.”

Ponds snarled under his breath at that and Mace gently grabbed his shoulder, squeezing reassuringly. 

“Skywalker sensed something wasn’t right and pulled up his shields,” Mace continued. “He then managed to override Skywalker’s comm to contact him and was bad mouthing Obi-Wan to him.”

“Something’s gotta be done about him, Mace,” Ponds said, shaking his head in disgust. 

“Let us get you all safe first before we look into him,” Mace told him, glancing at the datapad as it beeped, signalling the upload had finished. 

“Things are going to change, Ponds,” Mace said, a small thoughtful frown on his face. Ponds smiled as he saw the somewhat blank gaze, knowing Mace had sunk into the Force and was seeing something that Ponds couldn’t begin to comprehend.

“Something’s about to change.”

 

Palpatine snarled as he watched the recording on that blasted Jedi and Clone holo channel. 

It had only been uploaded an hour ago but already had millions of views and that number was steadily increasing with every passing second. 

It was infuriating to watch, to see Skywalker laughing with Kenobi, a look of deep trust in his eyes as he and Kenobi stared at each other as they sparred, bantering playfully.

He needed to get them separated. He was losing his grip on Skywalker, who was constantly making excuses or when he did finally manage to get Skywalker into the Senate building, someone always interrupted. 

Palpatine growled as he watched the comments appear on the video, all positive and gushing over Skywalker and Kenobi, before he angrily exited the page. 

He needed to get them back out on the front, somewhere where he could arrange an accident for Kenobi. That would surely rip Skywalker into pieces.

And then, of course, there was the issue of the clones. 

Palpatine leaned back thoughtfully. 

He knew Skywalker cared for his ex-Captain. Skywalker used the clone as an excuse, saying that he wanted to be there for him, to help him settle back into his life of freedom.  
Palpatine sneered at that.

If only Skywalker knew what was lurking in the clones’ brains. 

Palpatine shook his head, ridding himself of that thought. That would come when it was time, but he needed to get Skywalker back on his side. 

So, a plan to get Kenobi killed was definitely on the cards, but Kenobi was so damn slippery, it was maddening!

There was also the clone that Skywalker cared for. 

If something were to happen to him, maybe if he was taken by the GAR, deemed compromised, and decommissioned, it was cause Skywalker to give into his anger as his _‘friend’_ was taken from him. 

Palpatine smirked.

Yes, that would do.

Now the only question was how to get his hands on that blond clone as the Jedi were keeping him in the Temple. Palpatine pressed the commlink on his desk. 

Let him be the kindly old man just wanting to check on the wellbeing of the clone.

“Commander Fox,” Palpatine said once it was answered. “I have a job for you.” 

 

Drallig stood by the Temple Guards, arms crossed as he considered the red painted clone in front of him. 

“No,” Drallig said simply. 

“But, sir, the Chancellor requests…” the clone began to say.

“Commander Fox,” Drallig interrupted him. “Rex and Cody are under the protection of the Jedi Temple. They are both recovering from a traumatic experience and they are not leaving until they are cleared by the Healers.”

Fox sighed as he took off his helmet, running a hand through his hair. 

“I know, sir, but I had to pass on this request,” Fox told him. Drallig nodded. 

“You know the Jedi Temple is considered a religious place by the Republic,” Drallig continued. “Rex and Cody are under the protection of Sanctuary, meaning the GAR can’t harm them nor can the Chancellor demand they be dragged in front of him. It’s even a law, so he cannot take them by force and he knows this.”

“The Chancellor…”

“You know as I well as I do, Fox, that this so called ‘request’ is an order for Rex and Cody to appear in front of him,” Drallig answered. Fox gave a small nod, glancing around. 

“I will relay that information to the Chancellor,” Fox said, before glancing around furtively once more, leaning in a bit closer to Drallig. “The Chancellor is angry,” Fox murmured to him. “Take care of them.”

“They will be well protected with us,” Drallig promised. Fox nodded once more, straightening up. He gave a curt nod before he jammed his helmet on and marched off, steeling himself to face the Chancellor.

Though as Drallig said, the Temple was under a law of Protection, the Chancellor could not break the law for his own whims. 

 

Jek leaned over the walkway, watching his target closely. He sighed as his comm chimed, thinking it was another spam call from people trying to waste his time.

“What?” he growled into it, eyes still glued to his target as he walked, following them closely.

“ _Jekhart, right?_ ”

Jek froze at that. He went by an alias as he applied for bounty jobs, only giving his nickname in the rare cases. Only a handful of people knew his true name and he knew he hadn't told whoever this caller was. 

“Who is this?” Jek asked, though he kept his eyes on his target. 

“ _A friend,_ ” answered a voice that seemed familiar to him, though he couldn’t quite place it. “ _I know of your last job and what occurred there. I know you fell in love with your target._ ”

“What is this about?!” Jek demanded. “Stop talking in riddles!”

“ _I know you want to protect him and I’m in need of your services,_ ” the voice said calmly. 

“What’s the job?”

“ _Comms aren’t safe_ ,” came the reply. “ _I want to talk to you face to face, to see if you truly care about Tup or if it’s an act._ ”

“How do you know his name!?”

“ _I know many things, Jek, but believe me when I say that I am an ally, a friend, and all I want to do is protect the clones from those wanting to hurt them. What do you say, Jek? Do you want to protect Tup?_ ”

Jek looked back over the street, looking at the group he was following. 

Tup was there, laughing, as he walked along with his brothers. He looked happy and relaxed as he joked with his brothers, greeting the citizens who greeted them happily and kindly, having warmed to them thanks to the new holo channel. 

Jek had kept an eye on him whenever Tup was on Coruscant, missing that caring, sweet boy with the big heart. 

He would do anything to protect him. **Anything**.

“Where do you want me to meet you?” Jek asked, finally tearing his gaze away from Tup as he walked away, needing to get ready.

Tup frowned suddenly, glancing over his shoulder and up towards one of the walkways. 

He could have sworn someone was watching him.

 

Obi-Wan smiled as Feemor puttered around the apartment, carrying their dinner dishes away. Feemor had joined Obi-Wan, Cody, Rex, Fives and Anakin for dinner, which had been a relatively relaxed affair. 

Cody was curled up on the couch now with Rex snuggled close into Cody’s arms. Fives was sitting on a nearby armchair, smiling softly as he watched Rex and Cody talking softly.  
He understood that Rex needed Cody’s reassurance, especially after they spent months relying on each other. 

Obi-Wan met Fives’s gaze and gave a smile back. Fives settled back in his armchair, knowing Obi-Wan understood that as well. He felt closer to Obi-Wan than he had ever been, knowing that Obi-Wan understood what Fives was going through, trying to be there and reassure his love while trying to not be overbearing and smothering. 

“Who wants tea?” Feemor asked from the kitchen, smiling at them all. 

Fives stared at the tall Archivist Jedi as he bustled around the kitchen, making tea and some hot chocolate. Despite Feemor’s impressive and somewhat imposing height, Fives felt calm in his presence, knowing Feemor was a gentle, bookish sort of Jedi. 

“So, is Echo still with Wolffe?” Obi-Wan asked as Anakin pulled out his datapad. 

“Yeah, told him he needed to stay with Wolffe,” Anakin said absently. “Who knows when Plo and the Wolf Pack will be back next.”

Fives smiled at Feemor as he accepted a mug of hot chocolate, grinning as he saw Feemor had added small marshmallows. Feemor winked before he went to give the other mugs to Cody and Rex. 

Feemor went back to the kitchen area to grab Anakin’s as Obi-Wan stood leaning against the bench, drinking his own tea. 

“Here, you odd being,” Feemor teased. “Your disgusting sludge of caf.”

“You’re awesome, Feemor,” Anakin said, grinning up at Feemor. 

“Where did he get the caf habit from, Obi-Wan?” Feemor asked, chuckling. “None of us ever liked that gross sludge.” 

Obi-Wan shook his head, smirking. “He’s an odd one.”

Anakin rolled his eyes again, taking a sip of his caf and looking back to his datapad. Feemor frowned as he caught sight of it, leaning over slightly to look at the screen.

“Where did you get that?” Feemor asked, an odd look on his face. Anakin glanced at Feemor, to the screen showing the odd glyphs, and then back again.

“Do you know what this is?” Anakin asked, eyes widening. Feemor gave a small nod, leaning forward to examine the screen more. Anakin shot Obi-Wan a shocked, but hopeful look, before looking back to Feemor.

“I’ve seen a few of these glyphs before,” Feemor admitted, “but this isn’t right.”

“What do you mean?” Obi-Wan asked as he walked over. 

“This is the language of the Sith,” Feemor explained, “but these glyphs are all mixed up. Sith languages have many different variations,” Feemor explained, seeing their confused looks. “Much like planets have different dialects, it’s the same for Sith languages. I’ve seen these markings from a Temple ruin on Datree and this one from an artefact retrieved from Iridonia.”

“Can you understand what it says?” Anakin asked hopefully. Feemor shook his head sadly.

“No, we haven’t been able to decipher most of it since we don’t have a reference to go by,” Feemor said regretfully, “and the way that these dialects are mixed, I would guarantee that this is encoded to whoever wrote it.”

Anakin swore under his breath, hands gripping his curls angrily. Obi-Wan walked over to place his hand on Anakin’s back reassuringly. Feemor frowned as he looked at the two of them, glancing at the clones who were all staring, wide-eyed.

“Where did you find this?” Feemor asked carefully.

Obi-Wan sighed, looking at his brother Padawan. “This was pulled off a chip found in the clones’ brains,” Obi-Wan admitted, not wanting to lie to his brother, and also knowing Feemor could be trusted. Feemor’s eyes widened in horror.

“Sith writing on a chip in the clones’ brains?” Feemor whispered. Obi-Wan nodded. Feemor ran a hand through his blond hair, shaking his head. 

“Is there any hope of decrypting that?” Rex asked. “I-I mean, how is the programming on the chip meant to work if it’s encrypted with Sith language?”

“Well,” Feemor said thoughtfully as he rubbed at his chin. Fives bit back a smile, seeing how similar that action was to what Obi-Wan did. 

“I highly doubt that the program was written in a Sith language,” Feemor said finally. “I mean, the Kaminoans wouldn’t be able to program it in a Sith language since they wouldn’t speak it.”

“You believe that the program was originally written in Basic while the chip was programmed and then encrypted into a Sith language?” Obi-Wan asked in surprise. Feemor nodded.

“That’s how I would do it,” he said. “It would have to be written in Basic, but if it’s encrypted later it would mean that if the chip was found, like it has been, the true functions on it wouldn’t be able to be deciphered.”

It was silent as that sunk in.

“I’m a little scared that you could think like that,” Fives said, seeing Feemor in a new light. Feemor gave a tired smile. 

“I work with artefacts, a number of them were Sith Holocrons, trust me, when you speak with them enough, you learn to think like them.”

“You’re not going to go Sith on us, are you?” Rex asked, eyebrows raised.

Feemor chuckled. “No, I learn to think like them so they can’t trick me when I stumble upon a holocron.”

“What are we going to do, Obi-Wan?” Anakin asked, head in hands. 

“We concentrate on finding a way to disable the chips,” Obi-Wan told him, squeezing his shoulders. “We concentrate on destroying them so the Sith can’t activate them; that will keep the clones safe.”

Obi-Wan frowned as his commlink chimed and he went to read it. 

Anakin lifted his head as he felt Obi-Wan’s turmoil radiate through their old training bond.

“Obi-Wan?” Anakin asked, worried.

“We’re being deployed,” Obi-Wan said heavily, looking to Cody, his gaze sad. Cody stiffened, staring at Obi-Wan with wide eyes.

“When?” Anakin asked, voice hoarse. 

“Three days,” Obi-Wan muttered. “They’ve given us three days to get the ships and battalions ready to go.”

“Do we know where we’re going?” 

Obi-Wan frowned, tilting his head. “Orders for missions to be given,” he read before sighing. “Missions.”

“Plural,” Feemor muttered.

“They’re sending us to separate locations,” Anakin grumbled. “Why now?! They know we’re working on the chips and that you and Fives are here for Cody and Rex!”

Obi-Wan frowned thoughtfully as he looked at the message.

“I don’t think it’s the Council’s decision,” he murmured. “We will find out when we attend the briefing tomorrow morning, dear one.”

They all decided to go back to their apartments after that, needing time. 

 

Fives looked to Rex once they got back to their apartment. 

“Rex,” Fives whispered. Rex turned and looked at him, smiling weakly. 

“I’ll be okay, Fives,” Rex promised as he walked up to Fives, wrapping his arms around him tightly. Fives hugged him back just as tightly. “You’ve gone away before.”

“I know, but I hate leaving you.”

“We still have three days before you need to go,” Rex murmured. “Let’s just make the most of it.”

 

Cody curled up to Obi-Wan as they lay in bed. Obi-Wan gently ran his hand through Cody’s hair. 

“I don’t want to leave you,” Obi-Wan murmured.

“We knew it was going to happen eventually,” Cody said quietly, “and you know I’ll be here waiting for you. I have Rex and Ponds here too, so I won't be alone.”

“Still doesn’t make it easier to leave,” Obi-Wan said. Cody ran his fingers over Obi-Wan’s chest, tracing patterns.

“Just comm me when you get the chance to let me know you’re all right,” Cody said.

“Every chance I get,” he promised.

They lay curled together, not knowing the plans being laid in place. 

 

Tup laid in his bed that night, listening to Hardcase snoring from the main apartment. He knew they were being deployed again, sooner than he thought they’d be. Tup sighed as he played with the soft blue scarf, wrapping it around his hands. 

He needed to stop making excuses and just pluck up the courage.

It was time to see Jek. 

 

Dooku tapped his fingers on the desk, deep in thought. He had received the plans from Sidious, knowing that he planned to split up Skywalker and Obi-Wan so he could plan to kill Kenobi…for the umpteenth time. Dooku was going to go meet Obi-Wan as Sidious had ordered him to kill Obi-Wan once and for all.

Dooku planned to meet Kenobi, but not to kill him. 

It was time to make his move, to show Obi-Wan that he was no longer on Sidious’s side, and that he planned to kill the Sith Lord. He needed to get Obi-Wan on his side so the Jedi didn’t kill him when all of this was said and done.

He leaned back, folding his arms across his chest. 

Sidious still had no idea that Dooku had turned from the Sith path. Sure, Sidious always knew that Dooku would probably attempt to kill him as was the Sith way, but Sidious would never consider that Dooku would ally himself with the Jedi once more.

Sure, Dooku may not consider himself a Jedi anymore, but he knew he wasn’t a Sith anymore. He was more of a Grey Jedi these days, balanced between the light and the dark.  
Dooku unclipped his lightsaber, considering it for a moment, before he reached out to connect to the Kyber crystal within it. 

He could hear it screaming in pain. It had been screaming since Dooku had bled it to get the red blade. 

Dooku shivered. It never bothered him before, but he could feel the pain of it now; the crystal that had chosen him, that he had darkened and hurt, making it bleed red, making it scream. 

He had to change it back, he had to heal it. Dooku closed his eyes as he put the lightsaber away. He didn’t know if that was even possible, but he couldn’t begin to heal it yet, it would tip Sidious off. 

Dooku cleared his mind, thinking of his upcoming meeting with Obi-Wan. He would need to get him away from his troopers, away from any surveillance, somewhere where they wouldn’t be interrupted while Dooku spoke to Obi-Wan. They needed to have that conversation, he only hoped Obi-Wan would listen, but even if Obi-Wan refused to believe him he had an idea, something he could use to prove to Obi-Wan that he wanted to be an ally. 

He only hoped it worked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, now we're starting to move! :D


	22. A Proposal

Tup hesitated as he watched Obi-Wan and Anakin speak to Jesse, Waxer and Boil, giving them instructions about their mission and prepping the equipment and the men. The three clones nodded and hurried off. Obi-Wan sighed, looking back to Anakin as they discussed their separate missions. 

The 501st was being sent to Ryloth while the 212th was being sent to Balmorra where tensions were rising between the planet’s occupants and the Republic, which in turn had caught the Separatist’s attention and caused them to invade the planet. 

Tup sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. It was going to be his first mission back with the 501st and it felt a bit odd to be wearing blue again, he had gotten used to the gold within those couple of months. 

Obi-Wan glanced over, catching sight of Tup standing there, hesitating. 

“Tup?” Obi-Wan spoke up worriedly. He hoped Tup wasn’t worried about going back to the 501st; his brothers were so happy to have him back. 

Tup stepped up, smiling weakly. 

“What’s wrong, Tup?” Obi-Wan asked, glancing to Anakin, who stared at the youngest of Torrent worriedly. 

“I-I was wondering if I could take off for an hour, sirs,” Tup answered, not quite meeting their eyes.

“Why, Tup?” Anakin asked gently. 

“I-I don’t know when we’re going to be back next a-and I wanted to talk to Jek,” Tup rushed out before hesitantly looking up to meet their eyes. Anakin was looking surprised while Obi-Wan looked at him with understanding. 

“Tup…” Anakin started to say but Obi-Wan carefully touched Anakin’s upper arm, giving a small shake of his head. Anakin closed his mouth as Obi-Wan looked back to Tup.

“You listened to your heart?” Obi-Wan asked him gently. Tup nodded.

“Yes, sir, I-I’ve decided I want to talk to him and see…and see what happens from there,” Tup answered. Obi-Wan nodded thoughtfully.

“We’ve got things handled here,” Obi-Wan told him. “If any Admirals stop you, you’re running an errand for myself. If they question you further you tell them to contact me directly.” 

Tup smiled broadly, making Obi-Wan and Anakin smile back in return. 

“Go on now,” Obi-Wan shooed him with a smile. Tup gave them a final, thankful smile before he hurried off. 

“Is that the best idea, Obi-Wan?” Anakin asked quietly as they watched Tup dart around his brothers milling about. 

“Tup has been thinking about this for months now,” Obi-Wan told him as he turned back to his datapad, looking over the supplies list. “It’s something he needs to face.”

“Yeah, but what if the bounty hunter hurts him?”

“Jek won’t hurt him,” Obi-Wan murmured. “He truly does love Tup.”

Anakin sighed, letting that go for now. 

“I can’t believe the Chancellor ordered us back to the front,” he grumbled instead. 

“Can you really not believe it?” Obi-Wan asked mildly, glancing up from his datapad, eyebrow raised. Anakin sighed, leaning against a large crate. 

“No, I can believe it,” Anakin admitted bitterly. “It’s just…Cody needs you, you shouldn’t have to go out so soon, not after we just got Cody back.”

“The Council tried to argue against it,” Obi-Wan murmured. “Said they’d send another Jedi to take the 212th but the Chancellor demanded that I take care of this.”

“Still ridiculous,” Anakin grumbled. 

“I know, Anakin, I know,” Obi-Wan sighed. Anakin nodded, looking up as Kix and Puck walked towards them, Puck’s limp more pronounced as he hurried to keep up with Kix. 

“What’s the rush, Kix?” Anakin asked before sighing as Kix smirked as he handed over a datapad. 

“Supplies that need to be restocked before we ship out,” Kix answered easily. Obi-Wan glanced at the datapad, giving a nod. 

“I guess I will be expecting Helix to come up any moment then,” Obi-Wan chuckled as he went back to looking over inventory. Kix looked at Obi-Wan as Anakin looked over the list, approving the items. 

“Sir, i-is it necessary for you to go?” Kix asked Obi-Wan quietly. “I mean, we only got Cody back a few days ago!”

“I know, Kix,” Obi-Wan sighed, “but we can’t refuse the Chancellor’s orders on this.”

Kix nodded, sighing, looking to Puck who smiled weakly at him. 

“Well, at least Cody and Rex have each other still, right?” Puck said, trying to be positive. He had yet to see Cody after he had been rescued and he wasn’t sure about that meeting, especially after everything that had happened between him and Rex when they were cadets. 

Obi-Wan smiled at the medic who was trying to remain positive.

“That is true, Puck,” Obi-Wan said as Anakin handed back the datapad with the approved supplies. The two medics quickly hurried off to get their medbay prepared and restocked and Obi-Wan leaned against the crate Anakin was also leaning on, sighing heavily.

“We’ll do our missions and be back to Coruscant as soon as we can,” Anakin promised quietly. “You and Cody will be reunited in no time.”

Obi-Wan smiled weakly at him before sighing and pushing off the crate. “Let’s get these ships loaded so we can go spend the night with our loved ones,” he murmured. “We’ve got an early start tomorrow.”

 

Tup could feel his hands shaking as he got closer to Jek’s building. He didn’t know how this was going to go. He didn’t know what Jek would say or how they would react; Tup didn’t know how he was going to react himself when he saw Jek for the first time since that night in the cell in the Jedi Temple. 

Tup leaned his head back against the wall of the train, sighing. 

He was so unsure of how this would go. 

“E-Excuse me?” 

Tup blinked, coming back to the present and away from his tumultuous thoughts, and focusing on a woman standing in front of him, looking at him worriedly. 

“Yes, ma’am?” Tup answered, hand resting on the helmet hooked to his belt. She smiled at him, hand running through her black hair nervously.

“I-I just wanted to say thank you, for serving the Republic,” she stammered. “I’ve been watching that video channel you and the Jedi have made, ‘The Light Side’, and it’s shown us a side of you all that we never knew about.”

Tup inclined his head. “Thank you,” he said quietly. 

“Are you okay?” she asked. “You look a little bit nervous…?” she trailed off, waiting for his name.

“It’s Tup, ma’am,” Tup answered, “and I’m fine, thank you. Just lost in thought.”

The woman nodded, looking unconvinced, but letting it be. “Well, I hope you have a good day, Trooper Tup, and do be safe. We are all grateful for what you and your brothers sacrifice for us.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

The woman smiled once more before she went and sat back down to complete her trip. Tup looked away, though catching a few more gazes and getting some smiles and nods.  
Tup smiled to himself, glancing out the window as he watched Coruscant rush by. 

Things had certainly changed. No longer were they spat on and sworn at as they walked down the streets, now they were smiled at and greeted as they passed, now they were welcomed into restaurants and cafes. 

Ponds had certainly changed things with his idea and most certainly for the better.

Soon enough he was at his stop and his nerves had returned. 

Taking in a deep breath, Tup left the train, readjusting the helmet clipped to his belt before he walked towards Jek’s apartment building. 

He stopped in front of the door, glancing at his gloved hands which were trembling with nerves.

“C’mon, Tup,” he muttered to himself. “Stop being so nervous! You’ve fought against people who’ve wanted to kill you! This shouldn’t be so hard!”

Steeling himself, Tup walked into the apartment building, looking around the main foyer.

“Ah, young sir, you’re back,” the doorman greeted as Tup walked over to the desk. “I wasn’t sure I’d see you again after the Jedi came by.”

“Things got complicated,” Tup said vaguely. “Is…is Jek here?”

The doorman shook his head sadly. “Sorry, but he left yesterday,” he said regretfully. “However,” he murmured before he went digging in a drawer, pulling out an envelope. “He did leave this and it’s addressed to you.”

Tup blinked in surprise as he took the envelope with shaking hands. 

“He’s left it every time he’s had to go away,” the doorman continued thoughtfully. “I don’t believe he’s lost hope that you’d come back.”

“T-Thank you,” Tup murmured, giving a weak smile before he turned and left the building. He stopped outside the door, stepping to the side so he could open the envelope with trembling fingers, pulling out the piece of flimsi within. 

_  
Tup,_

_I don’t know if you’ll ever read this, but I’m holding out hope that you will. I know it’s probably stupid of me to expect you’ll ever want to talk to me again, but I can’t help but hope._ _I am sorry for everything that happened and I wish it could have been different._  
_I wish I had had the courage to tell you when I realised that I fell in love with you; to tell you what my mission was, to keep you safe._  
_I never wanted to hurt you. I only wanted to protect you…but I was also selfish and didn’t want to lose you, that’s why I didn’t tell you the truth until it was too late._  
_If you’re reading this, it means I’m not here…and I desperately wish I was._  
_Please don’t give up on me because I’m not here. If you wish to talk to me so I can apologize and grovel, please leave a message with Jacque and I’ll contact you as soon as I’m back._  
_I miss you so much, Tup. I never thought I’d fall in love, but I did…and I wouldn’t give up the time I had with you for anything_.  
_I love you, Tup, so much…and I’m so sorry for hurting you._

_Yours always,  
Jek. _

 

Tup leaned his head back against the wall, hand falling limp against his side.

Jek still loved him and wanted to be with him still. 

Tup swallowed harshly, tilting his head up to stare at the blue sky and watching the speeders zoom by above them, his stomach was twisting nervously as he thought.  
He had come here to talk to Jek again, but reading this letter…could he deal with Jek contacting him?

Tup brought the letter back up, reading over it once more before he sighed.

Yes, he still loved Jek and he wanted to talk to him, to see if he still loved him or did he just love the memories they shared?

Sighing once more, Tup made up his mind, heading back into the apartment building and asking Jacque for some flimsi and an envelope. Jacque smiled as he handed it over.

_  
Jek,_

_Yes, I want to talk.  
I’m being deployed and don’t know when I’ll be back, but I want to talk to you when I am. I just need to know._

_Tup._

 

Tup sealed up the envelope and handed it to Jacque, giving a small smile. 

“Take care, young sir,” Jacque murmured. Tup smiled at him before he headed back, needing to get back to his battalion. 

 

Obi-Wan sighed as he walked back into the Temple, rolling his shoulders tiredly. 

Almost everything was ready, now they would just leave earlier tomorrow which he wasn’t looking forward to. He didn’t want to leave Cody. 

“Hey, Kenobi,” came a far too cheerful voice which made Obi-Wan shudder.

“Quinlan,” he replied tiredly, pausing to face the grinning Kiffar, though said Kiffar’s grin was fading slightly. 

“You all right, Obes?” Quinlan asked quietly, pulling Obi-Wan to the side of the hall, into a small classroom. “I thought you’d be all happy since Cody’s back, I mean, besides the usual worry about Cody.”

“I’m being deployed tomorrow,” Obi-Wan answered, running a hand through his hair wearily. 

“What?!” Quinlan hissed. “How could the Council send you away?!”

“It was out of their hands,” Obi-Wan set as he sat on the edge of a desk. “The Chancellor ordered it and we can’t disobey.”

“Screw him, Obi-Wan!” Quinlan snarled, pacing agitatedly. “You shouldn’t have to go!” 

“I don’t want to, Quin,” Obi-Wan said, leaning back on his arms tiredly, “but we have no choice…and Cody will be safe here, and he’ll have Rex and Ponds here with him as well, so I know he’s in good hands.”

Quinlan folded his arms across his broad chest, tilting his head slightly. “You still don’t want to go though, do you?”

“Of course not, Quin,” Obi-Wan sighed. “I want to be here with him…but what can I do? I can’t protest, I can’t get Cody in trouble with my refusal to leave for him. You know how the Chancellor has been lately, do you think he’d allow that? What do you think he’d do to Cody?”

Quinlan sighed, sitting heavily in a chair. “Yeah, yeah, I know,” he muttered. “This just sucks, I mean, you were _happy_ again and less stressed, well…as less stressed as you can get.”

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, smiling slightly. “I am still happy, Quin, how could I not be? Cody’s home and safe, what more could I want?” 

“To be here beside him.”

“Well, that’s true,” Obi-Wan admitted, “but I will fight to get back to him as soon as I can.”

“Well, I won’t hold you back from him anymore then,” Quinlan said, before hesitating. “Have you found out any more about the, uh, chips?”

“Nothing good,” Obi-Wan said with a heavy sigh, feeling out with the Force to make sure no one was listening nearby before continuing. “There’s been a block in figuring out what demands are actually on the chips since it’s been encoded with Sith language, a mix of several dialects apparently.”

Quinlan gave a low whistle. “They really don’t want us to know what’s on that chip, do they?”

Obi-Wan shook his head. “No,” he said bitterly, “but they didn’t plan for Anakin and Echo working together on finding a way to shut down the chip.”

“Well, if anyone can figure it out, it’s your Padawan, Obes,” Quinlan smirked. “I’ve heard the grumbled tales of the droids he repurposed to annoy the Council, which I totally love by the way.”

“Of course you do,” Obi-Wan laughed, shaking his head. 

“It’ll be all right, Obi-Wan,” Quinlan promised, turning serious once more. “You’ll be back before you know it.”

Obi-Wan nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Can you check in on him every now and again?” Obi-Wan asked quietly. “I’m just worried about him.”

Quinlan gave a nod. “Sure, happy to,” Quinlan told him sincerely. 

Obi-Wan nodded as he stood. “I should get back to Cody,” he murmured. “I have to leave early tomorrow morning and want to spend what time I have left in the Temple with him.”

“May the Force be with you, Obes,” Quinlan said, smiling sadly. “And come back soon, yeah?”

“Thank you, Quin, and I’ll do my best,” Obi-Wan replied, inclining his head, before he left to head back to his apartment. 

 

Fives leaned on the bench as he watched Rex cook, smiling sadly.

He was going to miss watching this while he was away. Rex glanced up, catching his eyes and gave a small smile.

“What are you baking this time?” Fives asked as he settled down to watch. 

“Some of your favourite biscuits to take away with you,” Rex replied, smiling softly at him. “Also some extra cookies for the men and some slices too.”

“You spoil us, _cyar’ika_ ,” Fives grinned. “Is that Tup’s favourite slice there?” he asked, pointing to a slice with a chocolate biscuit base and a purple, creamy top. 

“Yes, a quint-berry slice,” Rex said, glancing at it. “He’s been a little distracted lately, have you noticed?”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed, but he's deflected every time someone asks him what's wrong,” Fives sighed before tilting his head. “You know, I can’t quite remember when he had a quint-berry or when that became his favourite fruit.”

“I’m not sure either,” Rex said, though he was quite certain it was something to do with Jek, though he didn’t tell Fives that. Fives just shrugged, going back to watching Rex cook, though he snagged a freshly baked cookie as Rex placed the tray down, gaining a familiar, reprimanding look from him. Fives just grinned at him before he bit into the warm, gooey cookie. Rex just rolled his eyes fondly in response, going back to baking. 

Fives stood up after a while, pacing around the apartment. He paused at a framed holo on a nearby table and picked it up, smiling at it.

The picture had been taken shortly after he and Echo had come back from ARC training and had had their first joint mission with the 501st and 212th. Cody and Rex had been so proud of them, of the two Shinies they had taken under their wing after the Rishi fiasco, to watching them becoming ARC Troopers. Rex had gotten one of their brothers to take the holo of the four of them. They had stood all straight backed and proud, helmets tucked under their arms…and then Rex plopped an arm on Fives’s shoulder, smiling slightly as he pointed at Fives as though saying _‘See this guy?’_

Fives tilted his head at that as he regarded the photo. He wondered if that was when Rex had realised that he felt something for Fives or if he had known by then.

“What are you looking at?” Rex’s voice asked quietly from behind him. Fives turned to show him the picture. 

“Ah,” Rex said with a smile. “I remember that day.”

“Did you know then?” Fives asked him as he leaned against Rex’s side as they both looked at the photo. “That you liked me?”

Rex hummed thoughtfully. “I didn’t full realise it then,” Rex said slowly. “Though I knew I was fond of you, more so than others, but I hadn’t truly realised the reason why yet.”

“I’m going to miss you,” Fives said as he placed the frame down, turning around to carefully wrap his arms around Rex’s waist. Rex wrapped his arms around Fives as well, smiling sadly.

“I’ll miss you too,” Rex murmured as he nuzzled his face into Fives’s hair, sighing as he inhaled Fives’s scent which smelt like regulation soap and a spicy cologne that Fives favoured. 

“I’ll comm you whenever I can,” Fives promised. “You and Cody take care of each other, huh?”

“Of course,” Rex chuckled gently. “Come on, we should get to bed, you’ve got to get up early tomorrow.”

Fives sighed, burying his face in Rex’s neck. “All right,” he mumbled, “as long as I can hold you all night.”

Rex smiled against Fives’s hair. “Of course.”

 

Cody stood by the window, staring out over Coruscant as the rain fell and lightning flashed over the large city. 

He couldn’t sleep, feeling his stomach twist as he thought of Obi-Wan leaving in a few hours. He was so worried, not knowing if he was strong enough for Obi-Wan to leave. 

So now he stood by the window, wearing just his sleep pants and feeling a small chill run across his arms as the cold weather from outside permeated the window. 

There was a small nudge on the bond he shared with Obi-Wan, a small whisper in his thoughts. Cody gave a small incline of his head to the question asked before arms wrapped around his middle, a kiss being pressed to the back of his shoulder.

“You okay, my love?” Obi-Wan’s voice asked gently. Cody gave a small nod, eyes fixed on the rain droplets running down the window.

“Yes, just lost in thought,” Cody murmured. There was a warm gush of breath against his shoulder as Obi-Wan sighed.

“Dearest, I can feel your turmoil across our bond,” Obi-Wan told him gently. Cody closed his eyes for a moment before opening them once more, watching as lightning arced across the sky.

“I’m scared,” Cody finally admitted. “W-With you leaving later this morning, I’m scared I won’t be strong enough without you a-and you’ll realise how broken I really am.”

“Oh, Cody,” Obi-Wan whispered, gently turning Cody around so he could face him. “I will always love you, no matter what, and it’s okay to be scared…but I also _know_ you, I know your heart and soul, and I know you’ll be fine without me. You’re so much stronger than you believe you are.”

Cody closed his eyes, resting his head against Obi-Wan’s.

“How can you still love me?” Cody whispered brokenly. 

“I’ve always loved you and I always will,” Obi-Wan reminded him. “I fell in love with this, remember?” he asked, tapping Cody’s chest above his heart. “No matter what happens, through all the tears and all the smiles, I will always love you.”

Cody gave a weak nod and Obi-Wan knew he didn’t quite believe it, so he wanted to show him. 

Obi-Wan let go of Cody, heading back to the bedroom, digging through his drawers for the object he had bought close to a year ago now but had hidden away, too afraid. 

Taking the box he headed back to the main room of the apartment, seeing Cody had turned back to the window, watching as the lightning flashed, lighting up the sky. 

“Cody,” Obi-Wan said, getting his attention. Cody turned back to look at him, arms wrapped around his middle and looking vulnerable. “I’ve…there’s something I want to ask you.”

Cody’s head tilted slightly as he heard Obi-Wan’s voice waver nervously. 

“I’ve loved you in a way I’ve never loved anyone before,” Obi-Wan said, choosing his words carefully. “I will never love anyone the way I love you. I’m so lucky to have you, so lucky to be loved by you…and I never want to lose you, ever.” 

Obi-Wan lifted up the box, opening it and showing the contents. Cody’s eyes widened as he saw the pure silver ring.

“I wanted to ask you when the time was right,” Obi-Wan said, smiling at Cody’s wide amber eyes. “And, well, recent events showed me that holding out may mean I might miss my chance…so, Cody, my love, my dearest, my _cyar’ika_ , will you marry me?”

Cody gave a small sob as he nodded his head.

“Yes,” Cody whispered, voice choked with emotion. “Yes!” 

Obi-Wan grinned, pulling the ring out of the box, also revealing it was on a sturdy silver chain.

“I-I thought since you wouldn’t be able to wear it on your finger because of the GAR, that you could still wear it around your neck under your blacks,” Obi-Wan explained. “It’s also engraved.”

Cody took the ring with shaking fingers, lifting it so he could examine the engraving within. He smiled when he saw it was the Mando’a wedding vow.

“You know we could have just said the vows,” Cody said with a smile. Obi-Wan gave a small hum.

“Yes, I know, but I also want to do it right,” he told him. “I know we can say our vows and it would count for us – and that means the most – but it also wouldn’t be recognized because you don’t have rights,” Obi-Wan explained quietly. “I want to be engaged to you and I will fight to get you legally recognized so we can get married legally.”

“Why does legally matter?” Cody asked as he held the ring, feeling it warm up to his skin temperature. 

“Because if something happened, I wouldn’t have any say even as a Jedi,” Obi-Wan said, rubbing the back of his neck. “But as your spouse, I could, so if the GAR tried to hurt you in anyway, I could fight back with spousal rights…which is also another reason why I wanted to hold off, in case the GAR found out; you’d be punished and I wouldn’t be able to stop it. I mean, I’d fight and fight until they took me down, but ultimately I wouldn’t be able to stop it.”

Cody nodded, looking at the ring once more.

“We can still say our vows,” Obi-Wan said, “but I also want to do another ceremony in the future, once you have rights so it can be legally recognized.” 

Cody smiled, looking at him. “Will you put it on me?”

“Did you still want to wear it around your neck?” Obi-Wan asked as he took it.

“Yes,” Cody answered. “That way it’s near my heart and if any non-Jedi see it, they won’t know what it truly is.”

Cody turned so Obi-Wan could put it on properly.

“This is my promise, Cody,” Obi-Wan murmured as he latched the necklace. “My promise that I will love you and fight for you and with you always. We are one whether we are together or apart. Never forget that I am always with you.”

Cody turned so he could press his forehead against Obi-Wan’s.

“ _Mhi solus tome_ ,” Cody murmured. “We are one.”

 

Obi-Wan chased after Dooku, mere days after proposing to Cody. It was such a change of situations, from talks of love and marriage one day to chasing a Sith Lord across a war torn planet on another day. He could hear members of Ghost running after him as they chased Dooku down into a tunnel. 

Suddenly Dooku turned as they got further down into the tunnel and into a cavern, the sounds of fighting long gone silent. Obi-Wan barely managed to brace himself as Dooku sent out a Force push, sending Waxer, Wooley and Helix into the hard stone walls, the clones slumping on the floor as they fell. Obi-Wan snarled as he caught sight of Waxer, whose helmet had come off when he had collided hard with the wall, face lax in unconsciousness, slumped against the wall. Obi-Wan held up his lightsaber, ready to fight, but froze when Dooku disengaged his lightsaber, carefully attaching it to his belt. Dooku carefully lifted his palms up, showing a jammer in one of his thin hands, which he activated with his thumb. Obi-Wan blinked, confused.

“What is this?” he asked suspiciously.

Dooku looked at him before glancing at the unconscious troopers. Obi-Wan steeled himself at that glance.

“Don’t you dare touch them!” he snarled. Dooku shook his head.

“I have no plan to harm them, Obi-Wan,” Dooku reassured them. “I needed to get you away from anyone who could hear this. I know you trust these men, but for now, it’s best if they are unconscious.”

“What is this all about?” Obi-Wan asked, eyebrow raised. “I thought you were here to try and kill me again.”

“No, Grand-Padawan, I’m not...though I can be killed for doing this” Dooku muttered the end under his breath before he sighed. “We need to talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to end it at the marriage proposal, but decided to add in Dooku's section.
> 
> Also, had to add in a comment about that picture we saw in the new Clones War trailer, it was one of my favourite things though it also broke my heart


	23. A Familiar Face

Cody sighed as Ponds dragged him from his and Obi-Wan’s apartment, all the while grinning. Cody just rubbed his eyes tiredly with his free hand as Ponds had a firm, but comforting, grip on the other as he led Cody down the hallways.

“What is this about?” Cody asked him, sighing once again. He had been content to just lay curled up in bed all day, surrounded by Obi-Wan’s scent, but Ponds had burst in and had thrown clothes at him, telling him to get dressed. Cody had reluctantly done so, watching as Ponds turned around first, but was still bouncing on his heels as he faced the wall. Ponds had turned back as soon as Cody was dressed, taking his hand and pulling him from the apartment.

“Well, I know you’re missing Obi-Wan,” Ponds said as they continued to walk down the many hallways, “and Obi-Wan wanted you to try and leave the apartment while he was gone, so he spoke to me.”

“Really?” Cody asked in disbelief.

“Mmhmm,” Ponds answered, shooting a grin back at him. “He was planning to do this with you, but he thought you might need this while he was gone.”

“Which is?” Cody asked tiredly. 

“We’re going to the crèche,” Ponds answered cheerfully. “I was going to bring Rex but he was in the middle of baking sugar-ladened treats for the Initiates.”

Cody paused at the word ‘crèche’, looking to Ponds, who stopped when Cody did.

“The crèche?” he questioned quietly. Ponds smiled gently as he turned to look at Cody.

“There’s a fuzzy little kid who’s been missing you,” Ponds told him, voice soft.

Cody knew exactly who he was talking about, remembering the large grin and grasping hands as soon had walked into the crèche, hearing the happy squeal of “Cowy!”

“Dinui,” Cody choked out. Ponds pulled his trembling brother into his arms, holding him close.

“You okay, _vod’ika_?” Ponds murmured concernedly in his ear. “We don’t need to do this.”

“No, no, I’m fine,” Cody said, pulling back and smiling at Ponds weakly. “I-I just didn’t realise that he’d miss me…or how much I _missed_ him.”

Ponds smiled once more, squeezing his hand. “Then let’s go, huh, Cod’ika? I’m sure he’ll be excited to see you.”

“So why are you coming then?” Cody asked as he and Ponds continued their trek to the crèche.

“Well, I wanted to ask you if I could record your reunion,” Ponds said hesitantly, glancing at Cody. “I thought it’d be cute and emotional and show the Republic that we do actually have feelings.”

Cody gave a small smile and nodded. “Sure, why not?”

“I’m sure Obi-Wan will love to see it,” Ponds said as they arrived at the crèche. Cody nodded in agreement.

“I’m sure he will,” he murmured as they entered. A large, towering man stood near the front entry of the crèche, looking up as they walked in. He smiled broadly as he saw the two of them.

“Cody!” he greeted, walking over. “It is good to see you back.” 

Cody inclined his head. “Thank you…” Cody trailed off, unable to call him Master, feeling that word stuck in his throat, but not wanting to be rude and call him by just his name either.

Hzaark seemed to sense his predicament, smiling reassuringly at him. “Just call me Hzaark or Ark, Cody, please.”

Cody smiled gratefully at him and Hzaark gestured for them to follow him.

“That man is a giant,” Ponds muttered into Cody’s ear, making Cody snort with laughter. Hzaark led them to a room, asking them to wait there while he went and retrieved Dinui. Cody looked around at the finger paintings tacked onto the wall as Ponds set up his recording device, also having gotten permission from Hzaark to record, since Hzaark knew that Windu would see it and approve it before it was uploaded. 

Cody turned as he heard footsteps approaching. 

“Dinui, someone very special is here to see you,” he heard Hzaark say. “You must be gentle with him, okay?”

“Okay,” Dinui’s voice chirped back and Cody felt an ache in his heart at the sound of that voice. Hzaark stepped into the room, smiling at Cody, before stepping aside. Cody’s amber eyes widened when he saw the small, furry blue child standing beside Hzaark, clutching at Hzaark’s leg.

Dinui’s purple eyes widened when he saw who was standing there before crying out, “Cowy!” and rushing over.

“Oh, Dinui, you’ve gotten so big!” Cody said, falling to his knees, scooping Dinui up as soon as he was close enough. Dinui wrapped his arms around Cody’s neck, the almost three year old clutching onto Cody tightly, never wanting to let go. Cody hugged him back, holding him close.

“Missed you so much!” Dinui wailed. “Why you not here?” 

“I’m sorry, Dinui,” Cody whispered, glancing at Ponds, who was looking at him sadly. “I-I couldn’t come home though I really wanted to.”

“You were so sad,” Dinui hiccupped. “You wanted ta come home!”

Cody startled, looking at Hzaark who smiled sadly in return.

“Dinui showed his Force sensitivity,” Hzaark explained. “He showed us by telling us about you, telling us that you were sad and wanted to come home.”

“Oh, Dinui,” Cody murmured, stroking the child’s back. 

“I’ll leave you to catch up,” Hzaark said softly before he quietly left, knowing Dinui was in good hands. Cody shifted slightly, feeling awkward on his knees. 

He hated being on his knees now, far too many bad memories. 

He glanced around, catching sight of the large armchair the Crèche Masters sit in with the younglings surrounding them as they told stories. 

Cody got to his feet, still clutching onto Dinui, who still clung onto Cody, burying his face into Cody’s neck, and walked over to sit in the armchair. He sighed as he settled down, Dinui snuggling in closer.

“Missed you,” Dinui whimpered once more. “Cowy not leave again?”

“I’m not leaving again,” Cody told him. “I’m going to be here in the Temple for a while.”

“Good,” Dinui said firmly, nuzzling against Cody’s cheek. “Scared.”

“Why are you scared, Dinui?” Cody asked worriedly as he rubbed Dinui’s back. 

“Don’ wan’ you to get hurt,” Dinui said. “Don’ wan’ you to leave Dinui.”

“Oh, Dinui,” Cody sighed, hugging him tightly. “I’m not going to leave.”

“You hurting though,” Dinui whimpered, pulling back slightly. “You hurt here.” 

Cody winced as Dinui put his small blue hand over Cody’s heart. Cody smiled sadly at him, pulling Dinui back close. Dinui buried his face into Cody’s neck again, nuzzling against him and purring softly. 

“I was hurt, Dinui, but I’ll be okay,” Cody murmured as he rubbed Dinui’s back, soothing him. 

Ponds watched as Dinui settled down on Cody’s chest, calming against Cody as he nuzzled against the pulse point in Cody’s neck, his eyes drifting closed. 

“How did you meet Dinui, Cody?” Ponds asked quietly, glancing to the holo recorder. Cody glanced at it as well before giving a fond smile as he gently nuzzled against Dinui’s soft blue fur.

“Dinui was given to me by a woman who I believe was his mother,” Cody explained. “We were sent to a planet to assist with rescue and rebuild after a combined Separatist attack and natural disaster, so the cities were pretty much demolished and the people…well, it was hard to see,” Cody murmured. “They all looked dazed and broken, struggling to get back on their feet, which is why we were sent to assist with helping with rescue and getting triages and medical buildings set up and supplied for them…but there’s only so much we could do with the supplies we were given and in the small time frame we were given.”

Ponds winced at that. “You being rushed back out again?”

“Rushed back to Coruscant so we could resupply for the next battle,” Cody said, leaning back. “We were getting ready to leave when this furry blue woman walked up to me, carrying a small baby in her arms. Next thing I knew the baby was in my arms and she was hurrying off and disappearing within the crowd and the rubble.”

“You couldn’t find her?”

“No, we looked but she had disappeared,” Cody sighed, gently nuzzling Dinui once again. “I think she knew his best chance was with us.”

“No one would take him in?” Ponds asked, glancing at the recorder once again.

“No,” Cody answered. “They were struggling to rebuild, struggling with resources, Dinui would have gotten lost in all of that commotion, so we brought him back to the Temple. Obi-Wan knew it was in Dinui’s best interest to bring him here, he would be looked after even if he didn’t show any Force sensitivity. Dinui would have been sent to a local school and then taught a trade with on the Corps the Jedi run, so he could have learnt farming with the AgriCorp or learnt to be a Healer’s assistant, so if he chose to leave when he came of age, he would have skills to use out in the Galaxy.”

“But he showed Force sensitivity,” Ponds said, smiling.

“Yes, so he’ll be trained to control it, but he can still choose his path afterwards if he doesn’t want to be a Jedi,” Cody murmured, smiling at Dinui as the child slept against him. “I think he’d make a good teacher, he has a big heart.”

“I also heard you named him,” Ponds said. Cody chuckled softly. 

“I did,” Cody confirmed, smiling up at Ponds. “His mother didn’t tell me his name and he needed one…everyone deserves a name,” Cody added quietly, Ponds nodding in agreement. “So I named him ‘Dinui’ which means Gift in Mando’a. He’s been a gift to us, to me. I come to see him every time I’m on Coruscant, he helps me forget the war for a while, seeing his big smile and being around his innocent heart. It’s comforting and I missed him so much.”

“We all missed you, Codes,” Ponds murmured. “We’re just glad you’re home.”

Cody smiled up at him before smiling at Dinui as Dinui mumbled sleepily, nuzzling closer to Cody.

“I’m glad I’m home too.”

 

Obi-Wan stared at Dooku in disbelief. “You’re kidding.”

Dooku gave a small shake of his head. “No, Grand-Padawan, I am not,” Dooku said. “I need your help.”

“You’ve tried to kill me!” Obi-Wan snarled. “You held Cody’s safety above my head to get me to join you! Why in Sith’s Hells do you think I’d help you?!”

“I have to admit, I have made mistakes,” Dooku said calmly. “I wanted to get you on my side, so we could defeat the Sith Master together, I thought using Cody would be my best option but I miscalculated.”

“You think?” 

“Sarcasm is very unbecoming of you, Obi-Wan, but I understand your frustration,” Dooku said evenly. Obi-Wan sighed and disengaged his lightsaber. 

The low lights fastened around the cavern roof cast the cavern in a dim light, but Obi-Wan could see that Dooku relaxed minutely. 

“If he finds out I spoke to you, my life is forfeit,” Dooku continued, “but I cannot defeat him alone.”

“Why do you want to defeat him?” Obi-Wan asked. “I thought you were his apprentice.”

“I was,” Dooku admitted, “but lately…lately things have changed. At the start he knew what to say to get me to join him, but now, as the time goes by, he’s told me more of his plan…and I simply can’t allow it.”

“What do you mean?”

Dooku looked up, his dark golden brown eyes meeting Obi-Wan’s grey ones. “He plans to wipe out the Jedi.”

“Yes, I understand he’d want to do that as that’s the Sith’s main goal,” Obi-Wan said impatiently.

“No, you don’t understand, Obi-Wan, he wants to wipe out _all_ Jedi,” Dooku emphasised. “He wants to kill you all and that includes the younglings, that includes the babies in the cribs. They don’t deserve that, Obi-Wan, they could have been given to families who would have loved them…but he wants to kill them all…and I can’t…I just can’t allow that. I’ve seen that latest recording that was uploaded, the one of your beloved and that innocent child. How could I allow such an innocent to be murdered in the name of one man’s power?”

Obi-Wan stared at Dooku in horror, but he saw the truth shining in Dooku’s eyes. He swallowed his horror down, breathing in deeply as he looked at Dooku.

“Why change your mind now? Why turn against him now?”

“Because of you,” Dooku answered, surprising Obi-Wan. “Because of Cody. You two are changing the Jedi. No longer are they caving to the Senate’s every whims, no longer becoming stagnate. The Jedi are _changing_ , even the most stubborn of you. The Jedi have a chance now and…and I can’t watch you be destroyed when you’re going to change.”

“How can I help? Why talk to me? Why not just take him out by yourself?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Because I’m not strong enough and he’ll expect it from me,” Dooku said simply. “It’s a Sith thing. The Apprentice kills the Master, though I do believe he plans to replace me with a new one…but we’re getting off topic,” Dooku said, waving his free hand. “I wanted to tell you that I’m no longer part of the Sith. I may be leader of the Separatists still, but I am not a Sith nor am I Jedi, I am in between. I want you to believe me which I know after everything will be difficult…but I do need your trust, Obi-Wan, at least when it comes to you believing that I want to end the Sith Master.”

“How do you plan to prove it, Dooku?” Obi-Wan just asked. Dooku ran a hand over his hair, startling Obi-Wan slightly, seeing Dooku make such a human move to mess up his hair with nervousness. 

“Can you tell me who he is?” Obi-Wan asked.

“No,” Dooku said firmly. “You aren’t ready, he has too many plans in place and there are things that need to be taken care of before you learn of his identity or he will defeat you all. I’ve already been plucking apart his plans but there’s still more to do.”

“What have you done?” Obi-Wan asked, frustrated that Dooku wouldn’t just tell him who the Sith Master was so they could end this. 

“Well, for one I have not revealed your relationship with Cody,” Dooku said, eyebrow raised. “I also helped Maia to push Mina into telling Duchess Kryze about Cody and Rex. Who do you think tipped Maia off that you would be rescuing Cody and Rex that day? Who do you think told Maia to share the signed Treaty with the Separatist Senate so that Sidious couldn’t use this as an excuse to further the war?”

Obi-Wan stared at Dooku in disbelief as Dooku paced slightly in front of him. 

“I’ve been moving against him, but I still need him to believe I am his loyal servant though I know he plans to have me killed so he take on his chosen one,” Dooku spat. “I need you to trust me, Obi-Wan. I need the Jedi to trust me, to help me take down the Sith Master.”

“The Council will question me,” Obi-Wan murmured. “They’d want proof, something to show that this isn’t an elaborate plot.”

“I understand your hesitance,” Dooku said calmly. “One, I haven’t killed your men even though I would have in the past, though I have scrambled their helmets so none of this is being recorded, in case the footage got leaked and found its way into the wrong hands. Secondly, there is something else I wanted to tell you, a peace offering in a way.”

“I’m listening.”

“There is a Separatist prison,” Dooku told him. “It’s located on a small moon, you might want to remember these co-ordinates.” Dooku listed them and listened to Obi-Wan recite them, giving a nod once Obi-Wan repeated it back to him. “You always did have a good memory.”

“What’s so important about this prison?” Obi-Wan asked instead.

“There’s a prisoner that you might want back, level five, cell fifty-two,” Dooku said. “It isn’t much, but it’s a token of how I want to help you undermine the Sith, to get rid of him.”   
Dooku sighed suddenly, rubbing his forehead and looking older as he looked back to Obi-Wan.

“I truly miss Qui-Gon in times like these,” he murmured, shocking Obi-Wan. “He was a voice of reason, though he could be a maverick at times.” Dooku pulled out his lightsaber, considering it. 

“You know, when I first became Sidious’s apprentice, he made me do things to make my crystal bleed,” Dooku said. “At first the screaming and the pain didn’t bother me, I thought I was doing the Galaxy a favour…but now, now I can hear my crystal screaming in anguish and all I want to do is heal it, but I can’t…not yet.”

Dooku turned his focus back to Obi-Wan.

“This needs to end, Obi-Wan, but he’s stronger than anyone realises which is why we need to do this together.”

“I will tell the Council,” Obi-Wan replied, “but I will also head to that prison.”

Dooku inclined his head. He turned to leave, walking towards a tunnel that he knew led to an exit when he paused by Waxer suddenly. Dooku turned towards him, eyes narrowing as he crouched down beside the stirring clone. 

“Don’t touch him!” Obi-Wan warned, eyes flashing dangerously. Dooku just reached up with a careful finger, tracing a very faint scar on the clone’s temple.

Obi-Wan felt his heart sink.

Dooku stood up, turning to face Obi-Wan, a smirk on his face. “You found them, didn’t you?” he asked. “You found the chips?”

Obi-Wan remained quiet and Dooku smiled, giving a nod.

“Good,” he stated. “This will make his plans so much harder.”

“We don’t know what the chips do,” Obi-Wan admitted quietly. “The ones we have –,”

“– are all encrypted?” Dooku finished, gaining a small nod from Obi-Wan. “Well, it’s a good thing I planned for Sidious’s betrayal.”

Dooku chuckled slightly at Obi-Wan’s confused look.

“Tell your Jedi on Kamino that they want to find file 272-872B, the password is Jinn,” Dooku explained. “Though I don’t believe I need to relay the importance of keeping this discovery and investigation as discreet and quiet as possible. Do not trust anyone outside of the Jedi, Obi-Wan, and even then use caution. Do not trust the Senate.”

Obi-Wan tilted his head, a memory stirring. “You told me that the Sith control that Senate when you had captured me on Geonosis,” Obi-Wan said carefully. “It’s true, isn’t it? The Sith Master has influence in the Senate.”

Dooku inclined his head. “Wise boy.”

Dooku nodded at him once more, keeping the jammer on as he quickly headed off before the clones fully woke up.

Obi-Wan stared down the dark tunnel where Dooku had disappeared into, deep in thought.

“Urgh, sir?” Waxer groaned as he opened his eyes, wincing slightly at the aches through his body. “What happened? Where’s Dooku?”

“Gone,” Obi-Wan murmured, shaking his head, before he headed over to help Waxer up, checking him over before going to check on Helix and Wooley as they both stood up.   
Once he was satisfied they were okay, they exited the tunnel, hearing Boil’s worried voice demanding they reply through their comms. 

They finished up with the battle soon after, with the droids mysteriously retreating – though Obi-Wan had a suspicion of who ordered that, though he hoped that wouldn’t make Dooku’s ex-Sith Master suspicious. 

 

Obi-Wan stood in the comm room, speaking on an encrypted line with Yoda and Windu.

“I’ve changed my course to make a detour to this prison,” Obi-Wan finished his explanation to the two Masters. Windu frowned, looking at Yoda, who was looking pensive. 

“ _I don’t like this_ ,” Windu said. 

“I know what you mean, Mace,” Obi-Wan sighed, “but you didn’t see him. He genuinely wants to stop Sidious I believe. You should have seen his eyes when he spoke of the plan to kill the younglings, he was truly disgusted by it.”

“ _This could be a trap_ ,” Windu replied. 

“I don’t believe it is,” Obi-Wan said quietly, “but I do think we need to confirm the tip.”

“ _Go to the prison moon, you will_ ,” Yoda said. “ _Contact Shaak we will, get her to investigate the hidden file discreetly she will_.”

“ _We will expect constant check-ins,_ ” Windu warned Obi-Wan. “ _If we go four hours without hearing from you, we will send someone after you_.” Windu gave Obi-Wan a firm look. “ _Don’t do anything foolish, Obi-Wan, I don’t want to tell Cody that you’ve been captured_.”

“I’ll be careful,” Obi-Wan promised. “How is he?”

“ _He’s going well_ ,” Windu reassured him. “ _He went to visit Dinui in the crèche and Ponds has been checking in on him._ ”

Obi-Wan nodded. “I’ll comm him as we travel to the prison,” Obi-Wan said. “I will keep you informed on what we find.”

“ _May the Force be with you,_ ” Yoda said before the holo fizzled out.

Obi-Wan headed to his quarters before he commed Cody. He smiled when the small blue holo pops up.

“Hello, my love,” he greeted warmly. “How are you?”

Cody smiled back, curling up further into his bundle of blankets. “ _Hello, **cyar’ika** , I’m doing okay – missing you though_.”

“I miss you too, my dear one,” Obi-Wan said. “I saw the recording with you and Dinui, was it good to see him?” Obi-Wan’s heart had melted when he saw the video of that reunion, seeing the pure joy in Dinui’s eyes – and going by the comments, all of the watchers had their hearts melted too. 

“ _It was good to see him again, thanks for getting Ponds to drag me down there_ ,” Cody said, smiling playfully at him. Obi-Wan could see Cody was playing with his engagement ring, sliding it about on the chain, which made him smile.

“Well, I might be home sooner than expected,” Obi-Wan told him. “I have something to check and then we’ll probably be back to Coruscant.”

Cody smiled broadly at that. “ _Good, at least I know you’re safe here_ ,” he teased, though Obi-Wan could detect a sad edge to the words. He knew Cody was worried about him especially since he wasn’t Obi-Wan’s Commander and watching his back – and Obi-Wan missed him being there with him, but this was something that they couldn’t change. Cody was safer back at the Temple. 

They spoke for a while longer until Obi-Wan had to go prepare his men.

 

The infiltration into the prison went better than expected. There was no ambush waiting for them and the guards had become complacent, so they were easy to stun with no fuss.

“Found it, boss,” Waxer called to him as they searched the prison data-base. There had been a few bounty hunters and crime lords in there, no-one who Obi-Wan would call ‘interesting’ but the cell that Dooku had said didn’t have much information…or any really.

Obi-Wan nodded and he and Ghost Company quickly headed to find the correct cell. 

“Found it!” Crys called as he worked on getting the cell open. 

The door soon opened and Boil and Waxer headed in first, Obi-Wan following close behind. 

A lone male was sitting on the edge of the cot, arms leaning on knees as the long hair hung around his face. He looked up, golden brown eyes widening slightly as he saw who was standing there. 

“You’re a clone,” Waxer breathed, taking in the familiar face that was hidden behind a beard. The clone nodded and Obi-Wan could feel the disbelief radiating from him.

“Who are you?” Boil asked.

“CT-782,” the clone responded, his eyes landing on Obi-Wan. “But my brothers called me ‘Hevy’.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...was that a twist?
> 
> Explanation on how that was possible is coming up :)  
> Might take me a little longer to update, got a full week of shifts coming up


	24. ARC's Surprise

“That can’t be,” Obi-Wan breathed, eyes wide. “Cody told me you died!” 

Hevy shook his head as he stood, the others tightening their grips on their blasters.

“I didn’t,” Hevy said calmly. “I was stunned and brought here.”

Obi-Wan rubbed his beard, frowning.

“What…what do you want us to do with him, sir?” Boil asked quietly. “He’s been a prisoner for two years now. What if they’ve turned him?”

Obi-Wan looked at Hevy, who was looking at them longingly. 

“Hevy, could you sit a moment please?” Obi-Wan asked. Hevy blinked, looking back at him and giving a nod.

“Sure, General,” he answered as he sat back down on the edge of his cot. Obi-Wan walked over with Boil and Helix close behind. 

“I’m just going to check over you,” Obi-Wan told him carefully. “It won’t hurt at all.”

Hevy nodded, looking up.

“Go for it, sir.”

Obi-Wan put his hands on either side of Hevy’s temple, noting how Hevy leaned into the touch slightly, eyes fluttering shut as he relaxed at that simple touch. Obi-Wan closed his eyes, focusing on the Force and trying to find any thoughts of betrayals, looking for any sign of brainwashing, or any signs that he’d hurt his brothers or the Republic.

Sensing nothing, Obi-Wan pulled away. He would get the Mind Healers to look more deeply into Hevy’s mind as they were trained to do it and he only had the basic training to do so.

Obi-Wan carefully took his hands away, heart aching as he watched as Hevy tried to follow his hands, trying to keep being touched. Obi-Wan shifted his hand to rest on Hevy’s shoulder instead, squeezing softly.

He could see that Hevy was touch starved.

“All seems to be clear,” Obi-Wan told the others. “Hevy, did your captors say why they’ve kept you alive so long? I mean, it’s been two years.”

Hevy shook his head, leaning into Obi-Wan’s reassuring warmth. 

“I don’t know really,” Hevy admitted. “The warden here tried to torture me for information, but I didn’t actually _know_ anything, I was just a Shiny, so I had no information to give.”

Obi-Wan gently squeezed his shoulder again as Crys peered out of the door, making sure no one was coming.

“The warden kept saying that he’d keep me alive to get my brothers to turn on the Republic,” Hevy continued. “That they’d turn on the Jedi when they saw you left me there, to be captured and tortured for two years…but I knew that would never work; that guy doesn’t seem to be so bright.”

“Sir, I think we need to move,” Crys spoke up. “I think they’re getting ready to fight back.”

“Of course,” Obi-Wan said. “Let’s go.”

Hevy blinked up at them, seeming dazed. “I-I can leave?” he whispered. “See my brothers again?”

“Yes, Hevy, it’s time to get you home.”

 

Obi-Wan stood in the corner of the Negotiator’s medbay, watching as Helix looked over Hevy. 

He was still surprised that it was Hevy that they found, having heard stories of him from Echo and Fives and hearing about him from Cody after the Rishi Moon debacle.   
He still couldn’t believe that the Separatists had kept Hevy alive for this long either. 

Obi-Wan walked over to the bunk once Helix stepped back, smiling as he saw Hevy rubbing as his freshly shaved face and cut hair. 

“What’s the prognosis, Helix?” Obi-Wan asked as he smiled reassuringly at Hevy, who smiled weakly back.

“Malnourished with signs of past abuse, broken bones, burns,” Helix listed, shuddering somewhat. Hevy smiled weakly, giving a shrug.

“The warden got bored occasionally,” Hevy said simply. “Also said that it’d make the Republic hate the Jedi when the Separatists decided to use me.”

“Use you how?” Helix asked as he peered into Hevy’s eyes and tested his jaw, easier now since they got rid of the beard. Obi-Wan had never realised that Hevy had tattoos on his cheeks. They looked like faint shadows, but they were there. 

“Their plan was to show me to the Republic, through holo or whatever,” Hevy explained. “That’s why they kept torturing me, adding new scars, and they’d show how skinny and malnourished I was. The idiot warden’s plan was that would make the clones angry and turn against the Jedi as it would prove that the Jedi didn’t care, that they’d leave us behind with no thoughts if we were captured or not. I always knew he was an idiot, but it always stopped him from killing me – though I didn’t always think that was a good thing,” Hevy said bitterly, looking at his hands. Helix looked at Obi-Wan sadly at that.

“We didn’t know you were alive, Hevy, or we would have looked harder for you,” Obi-Wan promised him. “Everyone truly thought you died, sacrificing yourself to blow up the Rishi station.”

Hevy shook his head. “I wish I did,” Hevy laughed sadly. “It would have been better to die a hero, I mean, it was my plan to do that…but I never got to the bomb, they stunned me before I had the chance to get to it and next thing I knew I was waking up in that cell.”

“Get some rest, brother,” Helix said, gently pushing Hevy down to lay down. “I’ve got to put you on a nutrient drip while we get some food into you. We need to get some weight back onto you, huh?”

Hevy nodded, sighing as he relaxed, shifting his hand to rest it on top of Helix’s. 

“D-Don’t go far?” he whispered. “I don’t want to wake up alone in that cell again.”

“You’re not going to, Hevy,” Helix promised. “You’re back with us now and we’ll be here when you wake up.”

“I need to make some calls,” Obi-Wan said. “Get some rest, Hevy.”

“General?” Hevy called hesitantly as Obi-Wan turned to leave.

“Yes?”

“Fives and Echo…did…did they make it off Rishi? A-Are they okay?” Hevy asked anxiously, both excited for and dreading the news. Obi-Wan smiled warmly at him.

“They’re both fine,” Obi-Wan reassured him. “They both made it off of Rishi and are doing fine.”

“Causing mischief more like,” Helix muttered, gaining a tired grin from Hevy. 

Obi-Wan left Hevy in Helix’s capable hands, though he noted Wooley and Waxer sitting near the door, keeping watch. 

Obi-Wan headed to his room to make the calls. 

He first made contact with the Council, who were shocked to hear of who they had found. 

“ _Do you believe he has any bad intentions?_ ” Mundi asked. Obi-Wan shook his head, frowning.

“No, I don’t sense anything and I couldn’t find anything malevolent in his mind,” Obi-Wan said, rubbing at his beard thoughtfully. “I do have a plan in mind however.”

“ _Oh? What might that be?_ ” Kit asked curiously. 

“Hevy still has two original squad-mates alive,” Obi-Wan explained. “Fives and Echo are currently fighting with the 501st on Ryloth, I was planning on diverting there on our way back to get those two as they know Hevy best…and I was curious to see how Hevy would react to them, to see if something stirs.” 

“ _So you’d use his brothers to see his reaction in order to sense if there’s a deeper plan?_ ” Windu asked curiously.

“Yes…and I also believe Fives and Echo will be good for him,” Obi-Wan admitted. “Hevy was alone – except for when he was being abused – for two years. He’s touch starved. Every time I touched him, he leaned into my hands, he relaxed at my touch. I think seeing Fives and Echo, knowing his squad-mates are still here will help him.”

“ _Go to Ryloth and retrieve his brothers you will_ ,” Yoda agreed. “ _Meditate on this more, I will._ ”

Obi-Wan inclined his head, knowing why Yoda needed to meditate. He was still confused on why Dooku would offer Hevy as a peace offering. He was glad, of course, that Hevy was alive and back with them…but it made him think.

Did Dooku really want to help them? To prove to them that he wanted to help them?

The holo of the Council fizzled out and Obi-Wan leaned back, sighing. 

Things just got a whole lot more complicated.

Leaning forward, he grabbed his comm, finding the familiar frequency and connecting the call. 

“I hope I haven’t caught you at a bad time,” he greeted as a holo of Anakin looking dishevelled appeared.

“ _Ah, you know how it is, they shoot at us, we shoot back…all that fun stuff_ ,” Anakin returned with a grin. “ _How’d you go?_ ”

“Better than expected,” Obi-Wan answered lightly. “Ran into Dooku who was apparently sent to kill me, but…things happened,” Obi-Wan said vaguely, not wanting to say too much in case someone was listening in. 

“ _Oh?_ ”

“I’ll tell you when we’re back on Coruscant,” Obi-Wan promised. “There is something that we found out, a tip we chased down that led us to something interesting.”

“ _And that is?_ ”

“We found a clone trooper called Hevy,” Obi-Wan said. Anakin paused, looking at Obi-Wan in confusion.

“ _Wait_ ,” Anakin said, confused. “ _As in Fives and Echo’s Hevy? The one who died on Rishi?_ ”

“He didn’t die,” Obi-Wan explained. “He was stunned and dragged off. From what he’s said, along with his memories of the event, and going with what Cody and Rex has told us, I believe they managed to stun him and started to drag him to one of the hangars there when one of the other droids must have set off the explosion. Hevy and the droids who had him must have escaped the brunt of the explosion and found a ship to use to get away or they managed to call for assistance after we left.” Obi-Wan sighed and shook his head. 

“ _Why keep him alive?_ ”

“Originally it was for information, but Hevy was a Shiny then and really didn’t know anything,” Obi-Wan said thoughtfully, arms folding across his chest. “Then the warden kept him alive in order to use him to sway the Republic’s opinion against us in some foolish, half brained plan.”

“ _Well, we always knew they weren’t smart,_ ” Anakin smirked before tilting his head. “ _So why are you calling me?_ ”

Obi-Wan fixed him with a look before sighing. “Hevy has been alone for two years. He’s touch starved and a little out of place, I believe seeing Echo and Fives are alive and well will be good for him – not to mention how Fives and Echo will react when they find out Hevy was alive all of this time.”

Anakin nodded thoughtfully. “ _So you want me to send Fives and Echo to you?_ ”

“We’ll be diverting to Ryloth on our way to Coruscant so we can pick them up,” Obi-Wan answered with a small smile. 

“ _I’ll get them ready for your arrival, we’re almost done here anyway,_ ” Anakin said, smirking.

“We’ll be there within a couple of hours,” Obi-Wan told him, checking his chrono. “Do behave and keep out of trouble.”

Anakin grinned. “ _I’ll try but no promises_.”

Obi-Wan chuckled, shaking his head fondly before they signed off with Anakin going to go prepare Echo and Fives. 

 

“So, why do you think Obi-Wan asked for us?” Fives asked as he and Echo walked off of the larty they had used to get from the Resolute to the Negotiator. Skywalker had come up to them as they were sitting in the barracks, cleaning their blasters as they joked around with Tup and Hardcase. 

Skywalker had told them that Obi-Wan was diverting to Ryloth to get them as he had stumbled upon something. He had been about to elaborate when R2 came screaming up, followed closely by Ahsoka, telling him about a situation in one of the lower levels of the ship that had been damaged during a fire fight with one of the Separatist ships. Anakin had nodded, distracted now, before issuing final instructions to Echo and Fives before he had hurried off. 

“No idea,” Echo answered as they looked around, finding Threepwood nearby.

“He’s waiting in the medbay for you,” Threepwood answered, giving a sad smile. “Good luck, guys.” 

Echo and Fives exchanged looks as Threepwood walked off before they headed towards the medbay. Echo sighed as he readjusted his helmet, which was tucked under his arm. 

“It won’t be anything bad, _Eyayah_ ,” Fives reassured him. “Obi-Wan wouldn’t spring something bad on us like that.”

“I know, _Rayshe’a_ ,” Echo smiled at him, “but you saw Skywalker was about to say something else, what if it was to warn us?”

“About what?” Fives asked, eyebrows raised. “And I’m sure we can handle it. We’re ARCs, we can handle anything.”

Echo rolled his eyes but smiled fondly at Fives’s positive, somewhat cocky, attitude.

“If you say so,” he murmured. They walked into the medbay, spotting Obi-Wan sitting next to a bunk at the other end, talking to the _vod_ lying upon it. 

“Sir, you called for us?” Echo said as they got closer. Obi-Wan turned to look at them as the brother on the bed looked up at them. The clone on the bed paled as he caught sight of them, his eyes catching on the distinctive tattoo on Fives’s temple.

“Fives?” he whispered, before his eyes darted to Echo. “Echo?”

Echo stared at the clone on the bed. He could see that tattoos on his cheeks, leading down into his neck, tattoos that were far too familiar – but his brain just couldn’t seem to make the connection, all of it screaming that this was impossible.

“Hevy,” Fives choked out beside him. “I-It can’t be! Hevy!” 

 

Windu stood at the entry of the Temple, arms folded in the sleeves of his robes, staring out over the city, deep in thought. Amidala and Organa had contacted him, saying they had some Senators in mind that could be useful, who could vote in the Jedi’s favour, but he needed to solidify their support. 

So, now he was here, waiting for them so he could give them a tour of the Temple and show them that the Jedi weren’t so aloof and cold; that the Temple was their home.

He always hated doing stuff like this, to try and prove themselves – which was a reason he loathed the dinners and galas that he was forced to attend with politicians. It was a political dance and he hated it.

“Master Windu,” a soft voice spoke up and he blinked, coming out of his thoughts, focusing on the shorter female in front of him. He bowed slightly to the young, soft blue Pantoran in front of him.

“Senator Chuchi,” he greeted. “My apologies, I was lost in thought.” 

Riyo Chuchi just smiled at him. “It is no problem, Master Windu, we are grateful for the opportunity to look around your amazing Temple,” she said, glancing back at the three other Senators standing behind her. “These are Senators Fredericks, Danart and Yuriarto.”

Windu inclined his head before he examined them. 

Fredericks was a short man but had an easy going smile on his face with friendly green eyes. 

Yuriarto was a taller female with small dark blue horns coming out of her forehead, her yellow cat-like eyes sharp as they examined their surroundings. Her dark blue tail, which matched the short dark blue fur she had, was curling about her leg. 

Windu looked at Danart and felt on edge instantly. 

He was a taller man, quite broad too, but his dark blue eyes seemed cold. 

“Welcome to the Jedi Temple,” Windu said instead, though he intended to keep an eye on Danart. “Please allow me to show you around our home.”

 

Hevy couldn’t believe his eyes as he saw his two batchmates standing there, staring back at him in shock.

Obi-Wan sighed from beside him. “Anakin didn’t warn you, did he?” he asked Echo and Fives, who both numbly shook their heads.

“He’s such an idiot,” Obi-Wan muttered under his breath, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He looked in between the three and then to Helix, who was sitting nearby, and gave a sad smile. Helix gave a nod and a small flick of his head towards the door, staring at Obi-Wan meaningfully.

“I’ll leave you three to get reacquainted,” Obi-Wan said as he stood up. “Helix will be here if you need him and he’ll comm me if you need me for any reason, I will be on the bridge with Commander Boil...after I finish scolding Anakin for not warning you, of course.” 

“You know Boil hates it when you call him that,” Echo said, voice wavering, but needing to break the tension.

“Oh, I know, but that’s his title now,” Obi-Wan smiled sadly as he approached.

Obi-Wan paused by Echo, feeling the turmoil coming from him and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder briefly. Echo gave him a weak smile and a nod, which Obi-Wan returned before he left. 

“So, who in their right minds made you ARC Troopers?” Hevy joked weakly. Fives grinned as he sat down beside the bed.

“A lot has happened in the two years since Rishi,” Fives said. “But…we have to know…how are you still alive, Hevy?”

Echo came to stand behind Fives, watching as Hevy sighed.

“I didn’t blow the station up,” Hevy told them. “It was my plan to do so, but I never got to it. The droids shot me in the shoulder and then stunned me. I’m not sure what happened between then and waking up in my cell, but I’m guessing the bomb decided to either arm itself and react to us trying to remotely detonate it or one of the droids was stupid and pressed the button.”

Fives swore under his breath, shaking his head. “You were alive all of this time,” he whispered, voice breaking. Hevy just smiled sadly at him.

“It’s not your fault, little brother,” Hevy murmured. “With how things turned out, I don’t blame you for thinking I was dead.”

Hevy looked at them, watching as Echo and Fives exchanged a glance with Echo putting his hand on Fives’s shoulder reassuringly. 

“You’ve got to tell me everything that has happened to you since Rishi,” Hevy said suddenly. “Where’s Commander Cody? I thought he was the Commander of the 212th?” 

Echo flinched at that. “He was,” he said carefully, “but he and Rex were kidnapped and held captive for months, so they’re recovering from everything at the Jedi Temple.”

Hevy frowned. “How bad was it?”

“Bad,” Fives murmured. “Rex was held captive for six months and Cody was held captive a bit longer than that…but they suffered so much and-and we didn’t know if we were going to get them back,” Fives’s voice broke at the end and Echo shifted his hand to gently grasp the back of his neck. Fives leaned his head back against Echo’s hand, sighing. 

“What happened to them?” Hevy asked carefully. 

“They were forced to become pleasure slaves to a sadist and a psychopath,” Echo explained quietly. “They’re trying to recover but it will take a while with such deep trauma.”

“Fives?” Hevy asked quietly, watching as Fives scrubbed at his eyes. Fives gave Hevy a weak smile.

“Sorry,” he said hoarsely. “I worry about Rex and that I’m not there with him now.”

“With…him?”

“He’s my _cyar’ika_ , Hevy,” Fives admitted, smiling sadly. Hevy stared at him in shock. Fives and Rex? He couldn't believe it. He watched as Echo subtly shifted, moving his hand against the back of Fives’s neck and watched as Fives relaxed, glancing back to smile thankfully at Echo.

They were still as close as ever, Hevy realised happily, though it did cause an ache in his heart. He had missed them so much, missed seeing them as they grew.

Though he really had to find out how those two misfit brothers of his became ARC Troopers. 

“Okay, you’ve got to tell me,” Hevy said, grinning at them. “How’d you two become ARC’s?”

“There was an attempted invasion on Kamino,” Fives explained. “Rex and Cody were impressed with Echo and I and decided to send us to ARC training.”

Hevy shook his head. “You I can understand, Fives, but Echo? I never saw you as an ARC!”

Echo snarled slightly. “Rex and Cody thought I was good enough!” 

“He’s one hell of an ARC, Hevy, trust me,” Fives said, reaching up to take Echo’s hand.

“Even with the rules and regs on repeat?”

“Why do you always do this?!” Echo cried out. “Why do you always put me down?! You’re meant to be my brother! You come back after two years and you’re just the same as you were back then! You don’t know what we’ve seen and what we’ve been through! You weren’t here! You didn’t have to watch helplessly on Kamino as –,”

Fives suddenly stood up, shifting Echo back as he murmured, “Echo, he doesn’t know.”

“Know what?” Hevy asked sharply. “What did you have to watch?”

Fives sighed, looking at Echo as he looked away, hands trembling. He glanced at Helix, who was typing out a message on his commpad, even as he stared at them worriedly. 

“During the attempted invasion of Kamino,” Fives began heavily. “The droids infiltrated Tipoca City and we were forced to retreat to try and protect a group of cadets. 99 was there with us, to help us find a place to hide the cadets and so we could ambush the droids. Cody and Rex joined us and helped us prepare for the fight.”

Hevy watched with wide eyes but didn’t say anything.

“During the battle, we ran out of detonators and 99 wanted to be a soldier like us, wanted to help us, so he tried to run to get more.”

“He was shot as he tried to run to get us more ammo, we couldn't do anything to save him,” Echo spoke up, voice breaking. “He was killed and…and I held him in my arms afterwards.”

“No,” Hevy whispered, heart breaking. He couldn’t believe it. 99 was on Kamino, he should have been _safe_ from the war and the droids and those seeking to kill them. 

It wasn’t fair that he was dead. 99 was a good brother, he didn’t deserve it.

“He still had your medal,” Fives told him sadly. “He just wanted to help his brothers...brothers that you keep insulting, Hevy.”

“I-I just…” Hevy tried to say but Echo shook his head.

“I’m a good ARC Trooper, Hevy,” Echo said, looking back at him. “I’ve changed during this war, seeing the horrors I’ve seen and almost dying. I was finally happy too, I found someone who loves me for _me_ , no matter how much I ramble or repeat regulations.”

Echo swallowed and looked away.

“You’re my brother, Hevy, why can’t _you_ love me for who I am?” he whispered before he turned and walked out of the medbay.

“He is a great ARC, Hevy,” Fives said as he sat back down. “You’re too hard on him.”

“I just wanted him to be the best,” Hevy admitted. “You know how much the other groups gave him crap about being the book-worm he was…I just…I just wanted him to be like the rest of us.”

“Echo’s a better soldier, a better person, because he’s different,” Helix spoke up this time. “Yeah, the knowledge of regs can be a bit much at times, but other times his wealth of knowledge has come in handy. We love Echo for who he is…and he’s one brave _vod_. Cody and Rex wouldn’t have recommended him for ARC training if they didn’t believe in him. He and Fives are two of the most sought after ARCs for missions, I know Obi-Wan is proud of who they’ve become. Why can’t you be proud of him?”

Hevy sighed, looking towards the door where Echo had disappeared through. He didn’t know why he was so hard on Echo. He guessed it was because he wanted Echo to be the best…but he hadn’t realised he had hurt him so much.

He had been gone two years and yet he still managed to screw things up with his brother the moment he was back.

“You just need to talk,” Fives murmured quietly. “Just give him some time first, he gets a bit fiery and that takes a bit to simmer down.”

“Tell me about him,” Hevy begged Fives. “Just…just tell me about the man he is now.”

Fives smiled and gave a nod.

 

Windu took the four Senators through the Temple, explaining the history of the Temple while also showing them how they lived, showing them the younglings giggling in the crèche and the Initiates in classes.

He was taking them down a hallway when he suddenly heard Senator Chuchi exclaim, “Captain Rex!” 

He turned around to see Rex was standing there, having to come to a stop as he heard his name. 

“Senator Chuchi,” Rex greeted as she walked over to him. “A-And it’s just Rex now.”

“Do you know him, Riyo?” Yuriarto asked curiously, her tail curling at the tip thoughtfully. 

“Yes, Rex was a great help on Orto Plutonia. He and his men were all so professional and very kind,” Riyo explained before turning her attention back to Rex. “How are you, Rex? I was so glad to hear you and your brother were rescued. I had been so worried since I heard you were kidnapped.”

“Thank you, Senator,” Rex said softly. “It’s good to be home.”

“Aren’t you meant to live in the barracks?” Fredericks asked curiously.

“Rex and Cody are staying in the Jedi Temple while they recover,” Windu spoke up quickly, getting a thankful look from Rex. “We don’t believe the GAR would give them the care they deserve after such an experience…and we do love having them here,” Windu added, smiling at Rex. “Even if he keeps giving the younglings sugar before their lessons.”

Rex grinned at that. “Have to keep busy,” Rex said with a small shrug of his shoulder.

“Cody getting into mischief with you?” Windu asked, smirking.

“No, he has an appointment,” Rex said, glancing at the Senators, who were murmuring to each other as Windu and Rex spoke so freely and friendly with each other. 

“Of course,” Windu said, sighing. “We won’t keep you, Rex, I’m sure you have plans.”

“Do you know where Ponds is?” Rex asked.

“You’ll usually find in the Room of a Thousand Fountains,” Windu told him. “That’s his favourite place to sit.”

Rex smiled and gave a nod. 

“Take care, Rex,” Riyo said softly. 

“Thank you, Senator,” Rex said, giving a nod, before he turned and headed off. Windu looked back to the group.

“Shall we continue on?” he asked before he started to walk without waiting for an answer.

“I am sorry for stopping us like that,” Riyo apologized. “I was just so happy to see he was okay.”

“Don’t apologize, Senator,” Windu told her, voice unusually gentle. “It’s good for him to know people care for him.”

“Hey, where’d Danart go?” Fredericks suddenly spoke up. Windu looked around, seeing that the Senator had indeed disappeared. He frowned, reaching out to discover where that untrustworthy Senator may have gone to.

A spike of fear suddenly rippled through the Force, the force of it winding Windu. 

Windu’s heart skipped a beat when he realised just who the fear had emanated from.

“Rex,” he whispered before he darted down the hall, the Senators quickly taking after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do apologize for this taking so long, but work has been hell and I've just been really stressed out...


	25. Freeze

Cody settled down on the cushions in the meditation room, smiling at Bant as she watched him settle. She returned the smile warmly.

“How are you going, Cody?” she asked.

“Okay, I think,” he answered carefully. “It’s been a bit hard without Obi-Wan here,” he admitted. Bant nodded in understanding. 

“How have you been coping without him here?” she asked before smiling. “I mean, I did see the video of you visiting the crèche,” she laughed softly. 

Cody smiled at that. “It was good to see Dinui,” he agreed, “and I’m trying to get out of the apartment or at least have Rex and Ponds over so I have someone there to talk to, so it makes me get out of bed.”

“Have there been days where you haven’t wanted to get out of bed?” Bant questioned gently. 

“There have been two days where I haven’t,” Cody said quietly. “It was just warm and smelt like him…and I didn’t want to get out, didn’t want to be seen.”

“Didn’t want to be seen?” Bant repeated softly. 

Cody reached up to the chain around his neck, the ring being tugged out from under his shirt so he could play with it anxiously. Bant’s silver eyes flickered to look at it before focusing back on his face.

“It’s hard to explain,” Cody said finally.

“Just do your best,” she reassured him. 

Cody frowned, fingers playing the ring now. “Because I feel like when people see me walking about, when they look at me, they can see what I was made into,” Cody explained quietly. “They can see that I was reduced to a Pet a-and what I was forced to do…how I broke,” Cody’s voice broke at the end and looked down, squeezing the ring in his hand. “I just don’t want to be seen some days, I don’t want to deal with the looks.”

Bant nodded once more, face thoughtful. 

“What you went through is something most people could not even begin to comprehend,” Bant said carefully. “I know myself, when I look at you, I don’t see a broken victim, Cody…no, I see a brave survivor.” 

Cody looked up, meeting her eyes at that. Bant smiled reassuringly at him.

“You survived, Cody, and yes, you may be a little bit fractured and bruised, but you still survived it. You survived all of the abuse and the pain and the fear; you’re still here while they aren’t,” Bant told him. “You’re so much stronger than you think you are…but I do understand not wanting to get out of bed some days,” she added with a warm smile.

Cody smiled back at her, though he was still in disbelief that Bant thought he was strong even though he was here to speak to her, to get her help. 

“Also,” Bant said, eyes sparkling. “I couldn’t help but notice that lovely ring you’re wearing there – did the stubborn nerf finally pluck up the courage to ask you?”

Cody grinned at that, his amber eyes filling with light and warmth as he lifted up the ring on the chain, smiling at it.

“Yes, he did,” Cody said. “He said it was his promise that he’d fight for me and with me, that he would always love me.”

“Have you told Rex yet?” Bant asked, smiling. Cody nodded, smiling softly as he remembered.

“I told him the next day, once Obi-Wan had left,” Cody admitted. “I could never keep something like that from him – even though I was tempted to see how long it was before he noticed the ring.”

Bant laughed softly at that. “How did he take it?”

“He cried,” Cody grinned. “Hugged me and told me that I better make him my best man at the ceremony or he’s going to sic the younglings onto me. We’ve also decided not to tell Ponds or anyone else just yet, just to see if they notice.” Cody grinned cheekily at Bant who laughed. Bant smiled at him, tilting her head.

“Are you excited to be married to Obi-Wan?” she asked gently. “Is this what you wanted?”

Cody gave a nod, sliding the ring back and forth across the chain. “It is,” he admitted quietly. “We always spoke about it, about our future when the war ended – though at that time, it was just a dream. We didn’t know if we’d survive the war or even if we did, we didn’t know what the Senate planned to do with us…we still don’t actually,” Cody said, frowning.

“Then I was kidnapped and…and I didn’t know if Rex and I would get out of there…and I didn’t know how Obi would react, knowing that I’ve been used like that,” Cody continued, squeezing the ring tightly in his fist, the edges digging into his palm and the slight sting clearing his mind. “I should have never doubted Obi,” Cody said, looking back at Bant. “He’s one of the most caring, loving people I know. I should have known that he wouldn’t throw me away because of…because of what happened, but…but I just…”

“You just couldn’t help the anxiety and the thoughts,” Bant supplied quietly, making Cody nod in agreement. “Let’s talk about that some more, okay?”

Cody sighed, giving a nod as he braced himself for that conversation.

 

Echo curled up on the floor in a storage closest he had locked himself in, pulling out his comm. 

He just needed to see Wolffe. 

Wolffe answered shortly, a small blue holo coming to life above the communication device.

“ _Pup_ ,” Wolffe greeted softly, though his expression showed his concern. “ _You’ve called early. Is everything okay?_ ”

Echo shook his head as he pulled his knees up, hugging them tight to his chest with one arm. “No,” he answered, voice hoarse, tears springing to his eyes as he watched as Wolffe’s expression turned worried. “S-Something’s happened.”

“ _Pup, what’s happened? Are you okay? Are you safe?_ ” Wolffe fired off quickly, worried. 

“I-I’m safe,” Echo reassured him. “Wolf’ika, they found Hevy.” 

Wolffe stared at Echo in shock. “ _What?_ ” he asked, confused. “ _Tell me the full story, Pup_.”

Echo explained how Obi-Wan had found Hevy in a prison, alive and how he and Fives had been brought over to the _Negotiator_ to see him, though Skywalker had forgotten to warn them, which had annoyed Obi-Wan to no end. 

“He’s still the same,” Echo cried softly, watching as Wolffe’s face pinched in distress, not being able to be there beside Echo to hold him and reassure him. “He just wanted to know who in their right mind made me an ARC Trooper – oh, he understood Fives being made an ARC, but couldn’t understand **me** being one. I-I just…why am I never enough for him? Why can’t he just be proud of me? Why isn’t anything I do ever good enough for him?!”

“ _Oh, Pup_ ,” Wolffe whispered, voice breaking as Echo buried his face into his knees, back heaving with stifled sobs. “ _Pup, you’ve done so much, if he can’t see the brave ARC you are, to see the great man you are, then that’s his loss. Don’t let him get you down, Pup, you are absolutely amazing and perfect just the way you are_.”

Echo lifted his head, sniffling as he looked at Wolffe’s worried face. 

“I just need to get away, Wolffe,” Echo told him, voice shaking. “I-I just need time to process everything…it just feels too much at the moment, it feels too overwhelming and-and I can’t get my thoughts straight…”

“ _Shhh, Pup, it’s okay_ ,” Wolffe crooned soothingly, stopping Echo’s worried rambling. “ _You want to get away?_ ”

Echo nodded, scrubbing the tears away from his eyes. 

“ _Give me ten minutes, **mesh'la** , let me talk to **Buir** , we’ll get you away_,” Wolffe promised.

“Wolffe,” Echo tried to protest but Wolffe shook his head, smiling reassuringly at him.

“ _I know you, Echo_ ,” he said firmly, though his tone was gentle. “ _I know how you need to cope with things, so let me help you_.”

Echo smiled weakly and gave a nod. “Okay, _cyare_.”

Wolffe smiled at him once more before signing off, leaving Echo sitting in the storage closet, feeling a bit more at ease now that he had talked to Wolffe. 

 

Obi-Wan was walking around the ship, trying to locate where Echo had hidden. He had received a very concerned message from Helix, saying how Hevy had hurt Echo – though by Echo’s reaction, this didn’t seem to be a new thing – and that Echo had stalked off, furious. 

As soon as Obi-Wan had finished his call with Anakin, after berating him for letting Echo and Fives walk into such an emotional reunion unprepared, he had gone to find him.  
He sighed as he comm beeped, stepping to the side of the hallway to answer it. His eyebrows raised slightly as Plo appeared.

“Plo,” Obi-Wan greeted. “I hadn’t expected to hear from you so soon.”

“ _You were expecting to hear from me?_ ” Plo asked, amused. 

“Well, Echo was apparently upset and I figured he’d call Wolffe,” Obi-Wan explained. “I’m guessing that is the case?”

“ _It is_ ,” Plo confirmed. “ _Echo is rather upset by his brother’s words and he’s a bit lost at the moment. I’m sure you’ve noticed how Echo removes himself from certain situations to gather his thoughts before he settles, correct?_ ”

Obi-Wan blinked. “No, that isn’t something I’ve seen,” Obi-Wan admitted. “Echo isn’t one I share close quarters with, so it’s not something I’ve realised.”

Plo gave a small nod. “ _Wolffe explained it to me_ ,” Plo said. “ _He’s struggling now and he needs to get away until he can reorganize his thoughts and come to terms with everything. It’s something he does after hard battles and after difficult situations. It’s something he needs so he can settle once again._ ”

“What are you suggesting, Plo?”

“ _Send him to me_ ,” Plo said simply. “ _Wolffe can help calm him and reassure him. We’re being sent to assist Kit for a small skirmish, having an ARC, especially a well-known and respected one such as Echo would be a great learning opportunity for the Pack._ ”

Obi-Wan smiled, inclining his head. “I’ll send him over to you then. He’ll be in my Aethersprite.” 

“ _You won’t need it?_ ”

“No, we’re on our way back to Coruscant. Just make sure he returns it in one piece, hmm? Anakin has done so much work on it, it would be a shame to lose it,” Obi-Wan smiled.

Plo inclined his head. “ _We eagerly await his arrival then_.”

Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head once the communication was ended. He had thought seeing Hevy again would be good for Echo and Fives, but he hadn’t realised what a tumultuous relationship Echo and Hevy had. 

Now, he had to find Echo and get him ready to go. 

 

Fives looked towards the door to the medbay as it opened, smiling as he saw Echo standing there. He frowned slightly as Echo beckoned to him, glancing at Hevy who just sighed heavily. Fives got to his feet, walking over to Echo.

“Echo?” he murmured as he stopped beside his brother. Echo looked at him, meeting his gaze.

“I’m going to go join General Plo and Wolffe,” Echo told him quietly, surprising Fives. “I-I just need to get away. I need to think.”

Fives sighed, giving a nod, knowing in these situations Echo needed time to reorganize his thoughts and get everything squared away.

“Will you be okay?” Fives asked him gently, putting his hand on Echo’s shoulder and squeezing softly. He frowned worriedly as Echo tensed, wincing slightly.

“Echo?” Fives questioned.

“I saw that wince,” a firmer voice said loudly. Echo winced as he looked to Helix who was marching over. “Your scars are making your muscles seize up again, aren’t they?”

Echo looked to Helix, eyes wide, making Helix sigh.

“Come on, you stubborn ARC,” Helix said, gesturing for Echo to follow him.

“Helix, it’s really not a problem,” Echo started to protest when Helix turned his glare onto him.

“You’re about to get into a fighter and fly for a few hours,” Helix said, voice firm. “You do not need your muscles seizing up on you while you’re mid-flight. Now, you will let me massage the relaxant onto your scars or I will ground you from flying. Your choice, _vod’ika_.”

Echo sighed, shoulders slumping as he nodded his assent to Helix. Helix gently took Echo’s shoulder, steering him to a free bed somewhat near Hevy’s. Fives went and sat back down beside Hevy’s bed, knowing Helix had Echo.

“Is he okay?” Hevy asked Fives worriedly. “Where is he going?”

“Echo just needs some time,” Fives said, picking his words carefully. “When things get bad, especially after a hard battle, Echo sometimes has to remove himself for a while to get his thoughts back in order or else he’s all jumbled and anxious.” Fives turned his gaze to Hevy. “I didn’t realise how upset you made him…or how much this whole situation with you being alive has thrown him.”

“What have I done?” Hevy whispered, aghast.

“He just needs time to get his thoughts back in check and organised,” Fives reassured him. “Once he’s done that, he’ll logically assess the situation as he does and come back. He always comes back.”

They both turned their attention back to Echo as Echo finally managed to peel the top layer of his blacks off, leaving his chest bare. 

“Gods, Echo,” Hevy whispered, horrified as he saw the intense scarring on Echo’s hips, creeping out of his pants, with some scarring on his shoulders and chest.

“We almost lost him that day,” Fives murmured, eyes fixed to Echo. “I-I thought I was going to be the last Domino standing. I-I didn’t know how I would cope if I lost him; he’s…he’s everything to me.”

“You would have had Rex,” Hevy tried to reassure him.

“I wouldn’t have survived Rex being kidnapped without Echo by my side,” Fives countered. “And my relationship with Echo is different. Echo always has my back on the battlefield, he’s always by my side and we can read each other without speaking.” Fives tilted his head as he regarded Echo, who was wincing as Helix massaged the relaxant into his scarred shoulders. “Echo is a bit like the Cody to my Rex.”

“I don’t get it,” Hevy said confusedly. 

“Wait to you meet Cody and Rex again,” Fives chuckled. “Watch how they interact with each other and then you’ll get it.”

They watched as Helix continued to massage Echo’s neck, moving onto his back and hips as he murmured to Echo, who was nodding. 

“You’re not worried with how close Cody and Rex are then?” Hevy asked carefully. Fives snorted, shaking his head.

“No,” he said. “Cody and Rex share a deep bond, one that I’ll never get in the way of, but they’ll only be _vode_ with each other so I’m not jealous or scared that Cody is going to steal Rex away. Cody is, ah, in a committed relationship himself anyway.”

Hevy blinked, not quite understanding, but decided to let it go for now. He knew he’d catch up with all of that gossip soon anyway. 

“How did he get the scars?” Hevy asked quietly, eyes fixed on Echo.

“At the Citadel,” Fives said between gritted teeth. “We were pinned down and he thought if he could just get to the ship we’d be able to get out – of course, the Seppies blasted the ship as Echo stood on the ramp, sending him flying and giving him those burns. I thought I was going to lose him,” Fives admitted, voice breaking. “Some stupid Naval Captain kept trying to get Obi-Wan and Skywalker to leave Echo behind, saying that he was slowing us down, but Obi-Wan refused to acknowledge that, saying that Echo would share the same fate as us. Cody, Rex, Obi-Wan and Skywalker all took turns carrying him, just making sure he wasn’t left behind.”

Soon, Echo was pulling on his blacks shirt again, pulling on his upper armour as Helix spoke to him. Echo glanced back at Hevy and Fives, giving a small nod before he let the medbay. 

“Do you know where he’s going?” Hevy asked as he sighed, laying back down on the medical bunk.

“He’s going to join General Plo Koon, Commander Wolffe and 104th Battalion,” Fives said, hesitating. “He’ll be taken care of there.”

“How do you know?” Hevy asked, almost snapping. Fives raised an eyebrow in his direction and Hevy sighed. 

“Sorry,” he muttered. “I-I just…it’s my fault he’s gone.”

Fives hummed but didn’t say anything to that, instead saying, “Echo will be more than fine there. I know because General Plo is also nicknamed General _Buir_ because he thinks of Wolffe and the Wolf Pack as his sons.”

“I remember hearing about Wolffe before Rishi,” Hevy said, frowning. “He had a rather frightening reputation on Kamino, no one wanted to cross him.”

“He’s still like that,” Fives chuckled before looking at Hevy, considering carefully. “Though he’s softened a bit, especially when it comes to Echo.”

“What do you mean?”

“Echo and Wolffe are together,” Fives said simply. “They’ve been together for months now. Wolffe loves Echo for who he is and Echo adores Wolffe; honestly none of us expected it, but it’s been good to see Echo so happy.”

“Echo…our nerdy little Echo is in a relationship with a Commander – one that had a reputation for biting during spars?” Hevy asked in disbelief.

“Yep,” Fives answered easily before shuddering. “And let’s not bring up the biting, they, uh, like to mark each other.”

Hevy just stared at Fives, who shrugged as he grinned. 

So much had changed.

 

Rex had been walking to the Room of a Thousand Fountains after leaving the Senators and Windu, when he heard a call of “Trooper!”

He paused, turning around to see one of the Senators coming towards him.

“Senator, can I help you with something?” he asked, glancing around the empty hall, wondering why the Senator had followed him. The Senator smirked at him, a darkness within his eyes which made Rex automatically take a step back.

“I’ve heard things about you, clone,” the Senator sneered. “You see, I knew Tris, we were friends.”

Rex’s breath caught in his throat as he took another step back, heart racing in his chest. 

“He did like to brag about his toys too,” continued the Senator. Quicker than anything, the Senator’s hand snapped out, grabbing hold of Rex’s hair and yanking Rex towards him.   
Rex tried to struggle but the Senator just held fast, tutting. 

“You know you’re meant to obey Senators, clone,” the Senator hissed, making Rex freeze. “You obey without question, do you remember that part of your training or are you defective?”

“P-Please, don’t,” Rex whispered, pleading. 

“Tris did like to brag about your talents,” the Senator continued, ignoring Rex. “How about you get on your knees and prove your worth? Or I can tell the GAR and the Senate how you attacked me; the Jedi will be forced to surrender you so you can be destroyed.”

Rex shook his head, wanting to rebel but years on training on Kamino that demanded he obey what the Senator said was causing his body to freeze, not allowing him to move.

He cried out as the Senator yanked at his hair, pulling it out at the roots. The Senator pulled at Rex’s hair, forcing him down, forcing his knees to buckle. Fear pulsed through Rex, making his muscles lock, not allowing him to move.

“Let him go!” 

The Senator was suddenly ripped away from Rex, releasing his grip on Rex’s hair. Rex fell onto his backside as he was released and quickly scrambled backwards, breathing erratically as his back hit the wall and he curled in on himself.

Windu had followed Rex’s pulses of fear to a nearby hallway. He had turned the corner and almost skidded to a halt in a mix of horror and fury as he saw that Danart had a tight grip of Rex’s hair and was forcing him down. He snapped out of it as heard Rex’s plead to be let go, hearing the other Senators gasping in horror behind him, and ran forward. 

“Let him go!” he snarled as he grabbed Danart’s other arm and yanked him off of Rex, using the Force to throw Danart across to the other side of the hallway. Danart landed heavily, grunting in pain, but Windu paid him no mind as he quickly comm’d for the Temple Guards as he glanced over to check on Rex.

His heart sunk as he saw Rex had jammed himself between a large marble vase and the wall and had curled in on himself, almost hyperventilating as Riyo Chuchi crouched in front of him, gently reassuring him though not touching him. 

Windu felt immense gratitude for Chuchi at that moment, seeing how gentle and careful she was with Rex, before he turned his attention back to Danart, who was getting to his feet. 

Fredericks grabbed Danart’s collar, furious as he glared at Danart. 

“What the hells were you doing?!” Fredericks yelled. “You’re meant to be a Senator! You’re not meant to abuse people!”

“He’s not a person,” Danart sneered. “He’s a clone…actually, he’s a _Pet_ , only good for pleasuring others.”

Windu heard Rex make a choked noise at that and clenched his fists so he wasn’t tempted to throw Danart down the hallway. 

The Temple Guards ran up at that moment, making Windu focus on the situation at hand.

“Escort the Senators from the Temple,” he ordered them. “I will be filing charges against Senator Danart so make sure he is barred from the Temple.”

“Yes, Master Windu,” the Temple Guard said, quickly turning to said Senator, who was cradling his arm, with Fredericks still gripping on tightly to his collar. Fredericks let him go as the Temple guards grabbed Danart’s upper arms. 

“We will be your witnesses, Master Windu,” Yuriarto promised, looking to Fredericks, who nodded in agreement.

“I can’t believe he’d do something like that,” Fredericks said in disgust. Windu glanced over his shoulder towards Rex as he heard a rough sob, seeing Rex was still curled up tightly.

“The Temple Guards will you see out,” Windu told them. “I need to take care of Rex.”

Riyo Chuchi stood up, looking to Rex sadly. “Take care of him,” she whispered as she passed him. Windu gave a small nod, watching as the Temple Guards escorted them away before he turned his attention to Rex. He walked over to him, lightly crouching in front of him.

“Rex?” he said softly. Rex slowly lifted his head, meeting Windu’s reassuring gaze.

“I-I couldn’t fight back,” Rex whispered, voice shaking. “H-He was a Senator…w-we were trained…I-I couldn’t fight back…we had to obey…”

Windu frowned slightly at Rex’s disjointed rambling, alarmed by it, but he had to push that aside for now. He had to get Rex somewhere safe.

“He won’t harm you again, Rex, I promise,” Windu said quietly. “Can I take you back to your room? You’ll be safe there and I’ll get Bant to come see you.”

Rex nodded, wanting to go back to his apartment so he could hide away. Windu offered his hand, watching as Rex eyed it but allowing Rex to make the final decision whether or not to take it. Carefully, Rex reached out, taking Windu’s hand and allowing him to help him to his feet. 

“Let’s get you back to your apartment and get you some tea, hmm?” Windu murmured gently. Rex shuddered, shifting in close to Windu, knowing he was a friend, knowing that Ponds trusted him with his life. 

Windu had to admit, he was surprised that Rex was pressing so close, seeking reassurance from him after Danart had just hurt him so…but he knew this wasn’t something to be taken lightly. Rex was showing that he _trusted_ Windu and it was a trust that Windu would not break. 

He would have to press charges against Danart, but he would worry about that later.

For now, Rex needed him to be there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Argh, I'm sorry this took so long but life...


	26. Never Again

Windu ushered Rex into his apartment, watching as Rex walked over to slump on his couch, head buried in trembling hands. He quickly pulled out his comm, sending off a message to Bant, though he knew she wouldn’t see it until her appointment with Cody was over. 

He looked back to Rex, seeing Rex was intermittently pulling at his own hair.

“Rex?” Windu questioned softly as he walked over. 

“They always grab my hair,” Rex whispered. “T-Tris used to pull my hair, he used it to control me, to expose my neck so he could hold a knife to it; he pulled it to hurt me, to hold me in place…” Rex gave a ragged breath, breaking off. Windu startled as Rex suddenly leapt to his feet, stalking to the bathroom. 

“Rex?” Windu said worriedly as he got up to follow him, not liking the feelings of turmoil coming from Rex. Rex was digging through the drawers in the bathroom, pulling out some small scissors and a straight razor, which Windu was rather alarmed to see. 

“Rex?” he tried again.

“No one’s going to use my hair again to control me,” Rex said raggedly, staring at the mirror. 

“Would you allow me to cut your hair then?” Windu asked carefully as he saw how Rex’s hands were shaking. Rex glanced at his shaking hands, giving a small nod. 

“Let me get a chair,” Windu murmured before he hurried out of the bathroom. He returned a few seconds later with a chair from the kitchen, placing it in the bathroom facing the mirror so Rex could watch his every move. Rex sat down, handing the cutting items to Windu. Windu smiled reassuringly at him. 

“How short do you want it?” he asked. “I’m not giving you my hair cut, you still have good hair.”

“You cut your hair?” Rex asked, looking at him through the mirror reflection. Windu smirked.

“Well, I tidy it up every now and again,” he admitted. “I lost most of my hair during Depa’s Apprenticeship and having to deal with Qui-Gon for many, many years.” 

Windu started trimming Rex’s hair so it would be easier to shorten. “It was easier to shave it off rather than show I was losing my hair.”

Rex gave a weak grin in his direction. 

“It’s also a lot easier to deal with,” Windu continued, just making small talk hoping it would relax Rex. “Which I’m sure you know about since you used to cut your hair short.”

“Was easier to wear under the bucket,” Rex agreed. “Didn’t get all sweaty and gross.”

“Ponds said the same thing,” Windu chuckled. “I could never understand how Tup wears that much hair until those helmets. Ponds made me wear his once and it’s a snug fit in there.”

“It’s cosy,” Rex said with a weak smile. 

“That’s one way to describe it,” Windu said as he picked up the straight razor and grabbing a comb. “Rex, you said that you had to obey him,” Windu said carefully as he started to cut down Rex’s hair length. “Why couldn’t you fight back against him?”

“We were trained on Kamino, had it beaten into us, that we were to obey all Senator and Jedi orders, no matter what.” 

Windu paused, looking at Rex in shock.

“W-What if you were ordered to do something you _knew_ was wrong?” he asked, shocked.

“We still had to do it,” Rex murmured. “We still had to obey, no matter what we knew was right.”

“Even if you were hurt?”

“Even then,” Rex sighed, looking at his hands. “I-I can’t explain why I couldn’t fight it, I wanted to fight that Senator so badly but my body just froze.”

“You had it drilled into you,” Windu said softly as he continued to cut Rex’s hair. “It doesn’t surprise me that you froze, not after years of being taught to obey.” 

Rex remained silent and Windu knew he would have to mention this to Bant so she could help overcome this, before he went to the Council with this new information. 

They had to find a way to help the clones, to show them they could fight back, to stand up against bad orders and for themselves. 

He knew it would take a lot of work, especially with the older ones who had this drilled into them for longer, but they would deal with this – they would help the clones. 

Finally, he tucked the razor into one of his robe pockets, not feeling comfortable leaving that in Rex’s apartment when Rex was in such an emotional state.

“There,” he said, running his hand gently over Rex’s shortened hair and brushing away the cut hair. “Is that short enough for you?”

He watched as Rex reached up, fingers weaving into the shortened hair – which was just slightly longer than what his hair had been before he had been kidnapped – and tried to clench his fingers within it. 

Rex gave a sigh, body relaxing slightly in the chair when he found he couldn’t get a proper grip in his shortened hair. 

“Thank you,” Rex said quietly, looking up again to meet Windu’s gaze in the mirror. Windu gently patted Rex’s shoulder.

“Any time,” he said sincerely. “Now, I promised you tea, didn’t I?” 

Rex smiled weakly as he stood, brushing the cut hair from his shoulders. 

“I think I have some tea here,” Rex spoke up, though his voice still remained on the quiet side. “I usually have some for Obi-Wan when he comes to visit.”

Windu nodded. “Why don’t you shower to get the hair off while I get the tea ready?” he suggested. Rex just gave another nod, which made Windu frown slightly, seeing how easily compliant Rex was.

He left the bathroom then, heading back into the main apartment area to give Rex some privacy. Windu dug through the cupboards, finding a few different types of tea. He settled on the most calming brew of the lot and went about making it, looking through the cupboards and in the conservator for some snacks to serve with it. 

By the time Rex had come out of his room, wearing soft dark lounge pants and a large hooded jumper that seemed too big, even for him, Windu was just pouring the tea. 

“How are you feeling?” he asked as he brought the tea over to the couch as Rex sat down, drawing his legs up. Rex gave a small shrug as he accepted the tea from Windu, cradling the warm cup in his hands. Windu brought over a plate of biscuits he had found, placing it on the table, before he sat down on the couch beside Rex, leaving enough room between them so Rex didn’t feel boxed in but close enough so Rex knew he was there if he needed him. 

“I thought you might want something to eat too,” Windu explained. “I know you cooked them, but they’re amazing.” 

The corners of Rex’s lips twitched up at that, hiding his reaction by sipping his tea. 

They sat there for a while with Windu telling Rex about the new recordings that Ponds had sent him and about some of the pranks the younglings had pulled, just keeping up conversation, watching as Rex relaxed in the lull of it, happy to just listen and not need to speak. 

They both looked up as the door opened and Cody came hurrying in, worried.

“Rex’ika, are you okay?” he asked worriedly, taking the place Windu had just vacated and pulling Rex in close. Rex wrapped his arms around Cody, clinging tightly as he buried his face into Cody’s shoulder. 

Windu walked over to Bant as she stood in the doorway, looking concerned.

“What happened?” she asked as Windu stopped beside her. He quickly gave her the run down on how the Senator grabbed Rex and how Rex froze, years of training telling him he couldn’t disobey, and how he freaked out, wanting to cut his hair off so no one could use that against him again.

Bant swore under her breath, shaking her head. 

“Also, there’s something else I’d appreciate you telling them,” Windu added quietly.

“Oh?”

“A clone has been found alive, locked in a prison for two years, Obi-Wan found him and is bringing him back to Coruscant,” he murmured. “Rex and Cody were there when he had supposedly died and they knew him, however briefly.”

“What’s the clone’s name?”

“Hevy,” Windu said quietly, glancing at Cody and Rex, watching as Cody murmured to Rex as he ran his hand over Rex’s newly shortened hair. 

“I’ll talk to them about it once I get Rex calmed,” Bant told him before turning her hard gaze back on him. “Please tell me that Senator is going to be severely punished,” she growled. 

Windu inclined his head. “We’re going to press charges against him…and I may have broken his arm when I threw him across the hallway,” he smirked. 

“He deserved to be thrown out of a window,” Bant countered.

“None were nearby or I would have accidentally misjudged my aim,” Windu told her. Bant gave a weak smile, looking back to Rex and Cody. “I’ll leave you to it then,” Windu murmured. “I need to go file charges against Danart.” 

Bant nodded as Windu turned back to Rex and Cody.

“Rex, I’ll leave you in Cody’s and Bant’s capable hands,” Windu said. Rex peeked his face out of Cody’s neck, showing tear tracks down his cheeks.

“T-Thank you for everything,” Rex said shakily. Windu inclined his head.

“I just wish it hadn’t been necessary,” he said gravely, before nodding to Cody and leaving the apartment. 

Bant walked over to sit in the free armchair, watching as Rex buried his face back into Cody’s neck, back heaving slightly, as Cody cooed gently at him and rubbed his back soothingly. Bant was content to just let Cody soothe Rex first, knowing Rex needed the comfort of his older brother. 

Cody held onto tightly to Rex, feeling Rex’s tears wetting his neck and feeling Rex’s back heave slightly under his hand, causing him to gently hum in Rex’s ear to try and soothe him. 

He and Bant had just finished their session when Bant had checked her comm, which she had silenced for their session, and watched as her eyes went wide. 

“Bant?” Cody had asked worriedly as Bant looked back at him.

“Cody, I need you to remain calm,” she told him, voice gentle yet firm. “Someone attempted to hurt Rex…he’s okay,” she added quickly as she saw Cody’s breath had caught. “Master Windu got to him quickly, so he hasn’t been hurt, but he needs us now.”

Cody had nodded, knowing that he had to remain calm for Rex, no matter how much his heart was racing and his stomach was twisting, no matter how much he wanted to hunt down the one who had tried to hurt his _vod’ika_. 

Cody blinked, looking back down at Rex as Rex shifted in his arms, fists clenching on tighter to the back of Cody’s shirt. He gently hushed Rex again, nuzzling against the side of Rex’s head comfortingly, feeling the bristles of his shortened hair. He had been surprised to see Rex’s hair short once again – it was still longer than his original shaved cut, in a way that Cody could still thread his fingers through the shortened strands, but it was definitely shorter than regulation now. 

“Why’d you cut your hair, Rex’ika?” Cody asked him softly. 

“Don’t want anyone else to grab my hair to force me to do things,” Rex hiccupped. “I can’t escape when they grab my hair.”

Cody shuddered, knowing that feeling all too well. 

“Rex, are you feeling up to talking?” Bant asked gently. Rex gave a small sniffle as he took his face out of Cody’s neck. Cody shifted him around so he could lean against Cody and Cody could wrap both of his arms around him still in order to hold him close. 

“I-I don’t know what to say,” Rex said, voice hoarse. 

“Can you tell me what happened?” Bant asked softly.

“I-I had just finished talking to Senator Chuchi, she wanted to know how I was a-and wanted to tell me she was happy to see I was back home, that she was worried about me,” Rex started shakily.

“Is she a friend?”

“I had a mission with her and the ex-Senator of Pantora,” Rex explained quietly. “She was shy and unsure of herself, but she was always kind to us.”

Bant nodded, waiting for Rex to continue.

“I was going to go find Ponds and walked away,” Rex continued, voice hoarse. Cody squeezed him tighter in reassurance. “I was walking down a hallway when I heard someone calling out ‘Trooper’, so I stopped and looked around and saw one of the Senators walking towards me. I-I asked if I could help him b-but I felt uncomfortable, I didn’t like the look in his eyes – he just seemed cold and dangerous.”

Bant watched as Rex gave Cody a despairing look with Cody just holding Rex tighter and gently bumping his forehead against Rex’s reassuringly. 

“He said that he heard things about me,” Rex said raggedly. “He said that Tris was his friend and he told him about me.”

“Rex,” Cody whispered, horrified, as he buried his face into Rex’s short hair. Rex reached up to squeeze at Cody’s arm. 

“He grabbed my hair and I tried to fight back but he told me I had to obey a-and I just froze,” Rex sobbed roughly. “I-I couldn’t fight back! Cody, I’m sorry!”

“Oh, little brother, you have nothing to be sorry for!” Cody whispered, hugging him tightly. “I know why you froze, my _verd’ika_.”

“He told me…he told me to get on my knees o-or he’d tell the Senate that I attacked him b-but I wasn’t going to,” Rex continued, “but I still couldn’t fight back, my body wouldn’t let me…so…so he tried to pull me down to my knees by my hair a-and that’s when Windu arrived.” 

Cody pressed a kiss against Rex’s temple, feeling Rex sag against him exhaustedly. 

“Please, don’t think this heartless of me,” Bant said carefully, “but you said you froze, that you had to obey. Could you tell me why?”

Rex looked to Cody imploringly and Cody looked to Bant, allowing Rex to bury his face back into his neck. 

“On Kamino we were trained, had it drilled and even beaten into us, that we were to obey all orders that Senators and Jedi gave us, no matter if we knew it was wrong…no matter if it hurt us,” Cody explained. Bant stared at them in horror.

“Y-You can’t disobey?” she asked, shocked. “Even if they hurt you? Even if they ordered you to hurt someone you cared for or someone innocent?”

Cody inclined his head.

“B-But…” Bant stammered. Cody gave a weak smile, reaching up to rub at Rex’s head. 

“It’s harder for us older ones since we had this drilled into us for longer, compared to troopers like Fives, who are younger and more headstrong,” Cody explained. “It’s why I broke under my first Admiral, I couldn’t fight back against his orders even though I knew they were wrong. I found my own way to rebel back but I couldn’t directly fight him.”

Bant just stared at Cody in horror before shaking her head.

“No, this needs to change,” she said. “I know it’ll take time, but we need you all to know that you can fight back against bad orders. You’re not droids, you’re not unthinking or unfeeling, you need to make your own choices…and I know you can make the right ones.”

“W-Why did I freeze then?” Rex asked, turning his head to look at Bant. “I knew it was wrong, why couldn’t I fight back?”

“Because you had this drilled into you since you were just a child, Rex,” Bant said softly. “Think of it as a form of brain-washing, it’s not something that can be easily overcome, but we can overcome it, I promise you.”

“I-I just…I feel so weak that I couldn’t make my body work.”

“You’re not weak, Rex,” Bant told him firmly, but gently. “We’ll figure out a way to overcome this, but you are certainly not weak. It’s just your body fought against your mind there and you were a bystander to its decisions. You couldn’t control it but it doesn’t make you weak.”

Rex sighed, sagging against Cody’s side more heavily. Cody gently nuzzled against Rex’s hair, feeling Rex sigh and relax further against his side.

“There is something else I need to talk to you both about,” Bant said hesitantly. 

“Bant?” Cody questioned worriedly. 

“There’s been communication from Obi-Wan,” Bant said.

“Is he okay?” Cody asked worriedly. Rex turned slightly so he could hug Cody tightly. 

“He’s fine, Cody,” Bant reassured him. “However, he has found something…well, someone.”

“Who?” Rex asked curiously.

“He found a clone in a Separatist prison, where he had been held for the last two years,” Bant explained carefully. “The clone said his name was Hevy.”

She watched as Cody and Rex both shot up, sitting up straight and looking at each other.

“That isn’t possible,” Rex breathed. “We were there when he died!” 

Cody frowned. “We didn’t see him actually blow up the station,” he said carefully. “But I still don’t understand how?!”

“I’m not sure either, I wasn’t given the whole story,” Bant told them. “I only know that they found him and are on their way back to Coruscant.”

“Another patient for you, Bant?” Cody asked weakly. Bant smiled softly.

“Probably,” she sighed. “So, you both knew Hevy?”

“Briefly,” Rex answered. “We met on the Rishi Moon station as the droids were attempting to take it over. We thought he died sacrificing himself to blow up the station.”  
Bant watched as Rex shuddered, pressing himself closer to Cody. 

“Rex, I just want you to know that Master Windu is pressing charges against that Senator, he won’t be able to hurt you again,” Bant reassured him. “You’re handling this well; I know you’re still scared and you cut your hair because of it, but you’re doing well. You’re letting your emotions out and this is good so you can recover.”

Rex just sighed, giving a small nod.

It didn’t feel like he was recovering, it didn’t feel like he was being strong. 

“C-Can you tell me what’s going to happen to Hevy?” Rex asked. Bant raised an eye ridge, knowing that Rex was trying to deflect from himself for the moment. She decided to allow it for now, knowing she couldn’t push Rex. 

“Well, I’m not sure what Obi-Wan plans to do, but why don’t you tell me about him?” she asked instead. While Rex was being deflective on what just happened, she could at least get them emotionally prepared for Hevy’s arrival. 

 

Wolffe stood in the hangar, bouncing on his heels. 

“Relax, my son, he’ll be here shortly,” Plo’s voice said reassuringly as he came to stand beside Wolffe. Wolffe smiled sheepishly at him.

“I know, _Buir_ , but he was so upset when I spoke to him,” Wolffe sighed. “This whole thing with Hevy has thrown him.” 

“I hope he’s ready for a fight.”

“He’ll be more than ready,” Wolffe assured him. “It’s like a switch watching him turn to battle ready ARC – it’s something to see.”

Plo nodded, smiling slightly at Wolffe’s enamoured expression. They both looked up as a dark red and white Aethersprite came into the hangar, landing neatly nearby. Plo chuckled as Wolffe quickly hurried over to the Aethersprite as the cockpit opened and Echo slipped out of it. 

Wolffe pulled Echo into his arms, hugging him tightly the moment his feet was on the floor. Echo dropped his bag and wrapped his arms around Wolffe, hugging him tightly back, relaxing in his hold. 

“You okay, Pup?” Wolffe murmured in his ear. Echo sighed, giving a nod.

“Yeah, I just…I just couldn’t take it,” Echo mumbled. “It was just too much with Hevy being alive and still being the exact same as he used to be.”

“Well, you have some space now to get your thoughts back in order,” Wolffe reassured him. “You’re with me and we get to go shoot some clankers.”

Echo laughed softly as he pulled back. “Sounds great.”

“Young Echo, it is good to see you,” Plo said as he walked over, having taken his time to give those two a chance to reunite. 

“Thank you, General,” Echo said, smiling at him, “a-and thank you for getting me away.”

“Wolffe was worried about you,” Plo said simply, “and I know how you cope. It wouldn’t be good for you to be cooped up on that ship with Hevy.”

“All the same, I am grateful.”

Plo just nodded. “Well, we’re due to join General Fisto within the hour, so get ready.”

“Of course, _Buir_ ,” Wolffe said. Plo turned and headed off to get the men ready. 

“Let’s put your stuff in my room and then we’ll come back for briefing,” Wolffe said, placing his hand on Echo’s back. Echo smiled and nodded, allowing Wolffe to lead him through the ship. 

“I wish I could spend some private time with you,” Wolffe purred once they reached his room, “but we have no time.”

Echo turned, wrapping his arms around Wolffe’s neck and grinning at him.

“As soon as we’re back from the battle then,” Echo promised, leaning up on his toes to kiss him. Wolffe smiled against Echo’s lips, holding him close. 

Wolffe bit back a groan at the announcement blaring over the system, calling for all troops to the hangar for debrief. 

A while later they were standing beside Plo as he spoke to the men, going over the plans and the mission ahead. Wolffe looked to Echo, who was standing beside him and listening to Plo intently. 

“All your mission briefings have been sent to your comms,” Plo finished. “Read them so you know where you’re meant to be. Any questions?” 

Wolffe looked back to Echo, hearing him murmur and repeat the orders under his breath, which caused Wolffe to smile. 

He always found it rather adorable how Echo repeated the orders given to him, to just to reinforce them in his mind. 

Echo looked up at him, blushing as he saw Wolffe was watching him. 

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “I can’t help repeating it.”

Wolffe shook his head, wrapping his arm around Echo’s shoulder. “I like that you repeat the orders,” Wolffe told him. “I think it’s cute. It’s very you, so never be ashamed about it, Pup.”

Echo blinked up at Wolffe in shock, but Wolffe just smiled, squeezing him tighter.

“Come on, Pup, let’s get ready to go, huh?”


	27. A Discovery

Windu groaned as he collapsed on the couch, burying his face into the cushions. 

He had made the call to the Senate building and the police force, demanding Danart’s arrest for assault only to be told that Danart had diplomatic immunity because he was a serving Senator.

It got worse when he received a message from the Chancellor, demanding Rex be brought before the entire Senate as he had been accused of assaulting a Senator. 

Windu had to admit, that slimy little Danart moved quickly. 

He sighed heavily.

He had no intention of bringing Rex before the Senate, that he would face himself as he was the one who threw Danart across the hallway and broke his arm. Windu would use that opportunity to get Danart thrown out of the Senate so he could be arrested, and he would make the motion for the Jedi to take over the clones care. 

It was earlier than he would have liked; he would have liked to be more prepared, but in this situation there was no other choice.

Thankfully the Senate hearing was a few days away as that was the earliest the Chancellor could somehow squeeze that in. He had a few more days to get prepared at least. 

The door to his apartment opened and there was the sound of familiar footsteps.

“Mace?” Ponds’s voice questioned gently. “Are you okay?” 

“I hate Senators,” he groaned into the cushion in response. Ponds chuckled sadly and Windu felt the cushion under his hip compress slightly as Ponds perched on the edge of the couch.

“Tell me about it,” Ponds murmured. “We hate the majority of them too.”

Windu sighed and rolled over, meeting Ponds’s concerned gaze.

“How’s Rex?” he asked quietly, knowing Ponds had gone to check on him once he had heard the news as Mace tried to get Danart arrested and charged.

“He’s shaken,” Ponds admitted sadly. “Cody is staying with him tonight so they can cuddle.”

“Cuddle, huh?”

“Cuddle piles are very therapeutic,” Ponds told him seriously, though the corner of his mouth twitched upwards slightly. 

“You’re not joining the cuddle pile?” Windu asked, eyebrow raised. Ponds shook his head. 

“Rex just needs Cody for now,” Ponds said quietly. “Cody is the best brother to be there for him now. They need each other really.”

Windu nodded thoughtfully as he sat up, watching as Ponds chuckled slightly, looking to Windu.

“Have you, uh, noticed anything different about Cody?” he asked, grinning slightly.

Windu raised an eyebrow once again. “No, should I have?”

“He’s wearing a new accessory,” Ponds said. “A new piece of jewellery.”

Windu’s eyes widened. “Nooo,” he breathed, shocked. “Obi-Wan _finally_ proposed?!”

Ponds grinned and nodded. “Cody’s wearing the ring around his neck on a chain at the moment,” he explained, “but it’s definitely an engagement ring. I asked him about it and he blushed and went all shy, but apparently Obi-Wan proposed to him before he left.”

Windu chuckled, “Damn, I lost the betting pool.”

“What did you bet?” Ponds laughed. 

“When he got back from this mission,” Windu sighed, shaking his head. 

“Did anyone win?”

“Yoda, that little green troll,” Windu sighed again. “He’s going to be unbearable.” 

Ponds laughed as he stood up, heading to the kitchen.

“Let me guess, you haven’t eaten dinner yet,” Ponds said as he starting digging through the conservator. 

“No,” Windu admitted somewhat sheepishly. “There was just a lot going on, had to make a lot of comm calls and got jerked around a lot.”

Ponds nodded as he found some ready-made meals to heat up. 

Windu stood up, stretching out his arms and sighing once more, before he headed to the table as Ponds grabbed the warmed meals and brought them over to the table.

“You look tired, Mace,” Ponds said gently as they ate their dinner. 

“It’s been a really long two days, Ponds,” Windu sighed, stabbing at his dinner. “I didn’t tell you last night since things were still unknown, but Dooku spoke to Obi-Wan, said that he wanted to help stop the Sith Master.”

Ponds stared at Windu incredulously. “Dooku?” he asked in disbelief.

Windu nodded. “That was my reaction too, but he gave Obi-Wan a location of a prison which Obi-Wan went to chase up. He found a clone prisoner there,” Windu told him. “Fives’s and Echo’s brother apparently, one they thought died on Rishi.”

Ponds stared at him, fork paused halfway to his mouth. Windu smiled fondly at him and gave a small nod.

“Yes, I thought the same,” Windu nodded, “and then it gets stranger.”

“How?” Ponds asked in disbelief.

“Dooku spotted the faint scar on Waxer’s head,” Windu continued. “He knew that we found the chips and told Obi-Wan what file to search for on Kamino, which we have Shaak Ti looking into discreetly of course.” 

Ponds just blinked, leaning back in his chair. 

“This is…different,” he said. 

“That’s an understatement if I ever heard one,” Windu smiled weakly. 

“So Dooku wants to turn back to our side?” Ponds asked slowly.

Windu hummed thoughtfully. “No, I still think he wants to lead the Separatists, but I don’t think he wants to be a Sith or follow the Sith Master any more. Apparently some of his plans disgust Dooku, like the plan to wipe all of the Jedi out.”

“I’m pretty sure Dooku has tried to kill you several times,” Ponds pointed out. 

“Oh, I’m sure until recently he would have gladly gone along with killing the Council and most Jedi Masters,” Windu agreed, “but Obi-Wan and Cody’s relationship and the fact that we’re looking to pull back from the Senate has showed him that we’re no longer stagnate,” Windu continued. “He also doesn’t want to see the younglings murdered, which was what the Sith Master is planning. When he plans to kill us all, he truly means all of us, from the eldest Masters hobbling about to the youngest baby in the crèche.”

“Well, at least he’s developed some sort of conscience,” Ponds muttered. “Though do you believe he is no longer a Sith? I mean, I thought you couldn’t come back from that.”

“We’ll have to see about that,” Windu just said simply. “This could be a ploy for us to take care of the Sith Master so he can take his place…but Obi-Wan seemed convinced that Dooku doesn’t want to be a Sith anymore; he spoke about Dooku wanting to heal his kyber crystals.”

“What do you mean?” Ponds asked in confusion.

“The red colour of Sith lightsabers aren’t natural, Ponds,” Windu explained. “Kyber crystals will create lightsabers of many different colours, which also depends on who has connected with it, but the colours usually range from green and blue in the most common colours, to yellow and orange in the uncommon colours, to purple, white and pink in the rarest colours…but they’re all natural.”

“So how does one get a lightsaber to go red?”

“By making the kyber crystal bleed,” Windu said simply. “In order to bleed a crystal, they have to do heinous acts, force the crystal to bend to their will and cause that crystal serious pain.”

“You speak as though they are sentient.”

“That’s because they are in a way,” Windu explained, smiling. “They are imbued with the Force which allows them to connect to us, to choose us to wield them. They speak to us in a way. They call to us when we need to find them and they sing to us when we connect to the crystals. When one makes a crystal bleed, they cause it terrible pain. We can hear the crystals screaming if we tried to connect with those crystals.”

Ponds shuddered at that and Windu tilted his head for a moment before he grabbed his lightsaber. Ponds watched as Windu stared at his lightsaber, opening it up with the Force and plucking the shining crystal from its compartment. He offered it to Ponds who stared at Windu with wide eyes.

“B-But…”

“I trust you, Ponds,” Windu told him gently. “Just hold it.”

Ponds carefully reached out, allowing Windu to place the crystal on his palm. He carefully brought it close, well aware of how he was holding Windu’s life in his hand – as he had often heard the phrase that the lightsaber was their life – and stared at the crystal. 

It felt warm in his palm.

“I-Is it vibrating slightly? And is it meant to be warm?” he asked, looking at Windu who raised his eyebrows slightly.

“Huh,” he said, smiling. “It likes you.”

Ponds stared at the crystal once more, watching as it caught the light and shone softly in his palm, before he handed it back over. He watched as Windu placed it back in its compartment and reassembled his lightsaber. Windu placed it on his belt and rubbed his eyes tiredly. 

Ponds could see the tenseness in his shoulders.

“What else is bothering you, Mace?” he asked gently. 

“Danart,” Windu admitted. “I can’t get him charged with assault.”

“What?! Why not?!”

“Because he’s a Senator and under diplomatic immunity,” Windu spat in disgust, shaking his head. “It’s gotten worse because Rex has been summoned to face the Senate, accused of assaulting a Senator, even though I was the one who threw Danart across the hallway.”

“They can’t do that!” Ponds exclaimed.

“I’m not letting them interrogate Rex,” Windu reassured him. “I’m going to face the Senate and take Bant along with me. I’m going to get Danart thrown out of office so he can be arrested and then I’m going to put forth the motion of the Jedi taking over the clones care.”

“I thought you weren’t ready.”

“I was hoping to have it more prepared, but I have to do it so situations like this stop occurring, so reconditioning and decommissioning will no longer be an option,” Windu said. “So as I head into the Senate for that hearing, I will need you to upload Aurora’s and Trigger’s recording.”

“I’m going in with you,” Ponds told him, voice firm. “I’m not letting you face that alone, Mace, and that way the Senate can _see_ me, they can see the clone that the Chancellor threatened.”

Windu hummed thoughtfully. “I’ll talk to Organa and Amidala about it.”

Ponds nodded, watching as Windu yawned again. 

“Bed?” he asked, watching as Windu gave a small nod. “I can go back to my apartment if you’d like.”

Windu shook his head. “Stay with me tonight?”

Ponds smiled, giving a nod. “Sure.”

They both headed into the bedroom to get changed before climbing into Windu’s bed. Windu startled, giving a small chuckle as Ponds shifted him around before spooning his back and cuddling him close.

“Ponds, what are you doing?” he asked, amused.

“Accept the cuddles, Mace,” Ponds chuckled in his ear. “You need all the cuddles after today.”

Windu rolled his eyes but accepted Ponds’s show of affection, feeling himself relax in the warm, solid hug. 

It felt good to just relax, knowing Ponds was there and had his back. It felt like he could finally let go, to finally unburden himself of the day. 

 

Dooku frowned heavily as he stared out of the large floor to ceiling windows, staring out blankly at the forests of Serrano below him. Sidious had contacted him, furious that the Jedi had somehow found out the location of one of the Separatist prisons and had liberated a clone prisoner – Dooku had been sure to send an anonymous message to Obi-Wan after that, sending him a cover story in case he was questioned about how Dooku had escaped; Dooku did need their stories to match after all, in case Palpatine questioned Obi-Wan. 

Sidious had been furious though, so furious that he demanded that Dooku kill Ventress. 

Dooku scoffed, shaking his head. 

Of course Sidious was like a petulant child if he didn’t get his way, he threw a temper tantrum and tried to take the others toys away. 

“You wanted to see me, Master?” Ventress’s voice asked, catching his attention. Dooku turned from the window, looking to Ventress who stood before his desk.

“Yes, Ventress, I did,” Dooku said as he walked towards her. “I wanted to talk to you.”

“Master?”

“I received a call from Darth Sidious earlier,” Dooku said, meeting her gaze. “He told me I was to kill you.”

He watched as Ventress’s foot slipped back into a defensive position and her hands went to the hilt of her sabers. 

“Calm yourself, Ventress, I have no intention of following his orders.”

“But he’s your master.”

“Not for long,” Dooku said simply as he sat down, watching as Ventress cautiously straightened up.

“What do you mean?” Ventress asked cautiously. 

“I do not plan to follow Sidious for much longer, in fact I am working against him now,” Dooku told her, sharp gaze watching her reactions. “I’m telling you this because I want to know what you plan to do now that you know this.”

“But he’s a Sith,” Ventress said carefully. 

“I do not plan to be a Sith anymore,” Dooku said, lifting up his lightsaber and watching as Ventress tensed. “I am tired of hearing my crystal scream, tired of being a pawn…aren’t you?”

Ventress just stared at Dooku, unsure. “Why?” she asked him. “Why now? Why are you telling me this?”

“I’ve been unsure about Sidious’s plan to kill the Jedi – not for the reason you think,” he added, seeing the look of disgust cross her face. “Yes, once I would have gladly gone along with him killing the Jedi Council and the Masters to get rid of the complacency that the Jedi had developed, but I could never stomach the idea of him killing the Padawans and the Initiates and the babies still in the cradles.”

“He was going to kill the children?” Ventress asked quietly. 

Dooku gave a small nod. “They could have been given to families who would have cared for them, they would have never been trained, but he doesn’t care. He just wants to kill them all and that is something I can’t allow. They are children, they are innocent.”

“But what about the rest of the Jedi?” Ventress asked him. “You would allow them to live?”

“They’ve changed, Ventress, I’m sure you’ve seen this as well,” he said simply. “You’ve seen how they defied the Senate to rescue clones, you know that they’re planning to pull back from the Senate – this is the change that was needed.” 

Dooku eyed her, watching the expressions cross her face.

“I know you hate them, I still hate some of them too, but remember how you felt when criminals murdered your Master? Do you remember the pain and heartbreak you felt? It wasn’t their fault, Ventress, if they knew of you they would have taken you in.”

“Do you really believe that?” 

“I do,” Dooku said. “You had been trained already, they would have found someone who would have taken care of you like you truly deserved.”

“They weren’t going to take on Skywalker,” she pointed out. “Do you know many times I’ve heard Skywalker snipe that at Kenobi when he was annoyed?”

“Skywalker was fairly old to begin training, you had already begun by that age,” Dooku explained. “Your cases were different. Plus Skywalker is still a petulant child, Force forbid what he would have been like at that age.”

Ventress gave a nod. “Why are you telling me all this?”

“Because it’s time for you decide what path you want to follow, Asajj,” Dooku said simply. “Do you want to follow the Sith Master, to be his pawn and be disposed of at his whim? Or do you want to fight for yourself, to fight for a better future?”

“I’d still be your Apprentice though,” Ventress said. “I wouldn’t be fighting for myself.”

“I’m still going to be a Separatist, Ventress,” Dooku explained. “I’m giving you a choice whether you still want to follow me or if you’d prefer to go on your own path.”

Ventress thought for a few moments before she looked up, gaze determined. “I will follow you. I will fight alongside you to take down Sidious…but after that…”

“After that you can choose your own path, Ventress,” Dooku assured her. “But for now, I want you to go back to Dathomir to hide with the Nightsisters. They will be happy to see you and they will protect you. Once it is safe again, I will call for you and we will work on healing our crystals.”

Ventress nodded once more.

“You’ll be safe on Dathomir,” Dooku reassured her. “Mother Talzin will be thrilled to see you. Learn from them, perhaps you will discover your true path while you are there.”

“Of course, Master…and thank you.”

Dooku watched as she left, leaning back in his chair. He knew Ventress had potential which was why he had spoken to her, to see what her true opinion was. He knew she saw things as he did, saw how Sidious had to be taken down. 

He chuckled to himself as he thought of the aftermath once Sidious was taken down. Perhaps he’d push her towards the Jedi Temple, he wanted to be there to see the Council’s faces if Ventress came asking to be trained as a Jedi. 

He was pretty sure Yoda would finally keel over…or he’d be extra annoying and take Ventress on as his own Apprentice. 

 

Hevy watched as Fives darted off as soon as the ship’s ramp had lowered. He knew that Fives was going to see Rex as Kenobi had come to Fives to tell him that some Senator had attempted to assault Rex…but he had to admit that it hurt that Fives had just left him there, though he knew Fives was worried about his _cyare_ – and Hevy still couldn’t believe it was Captain Rex of all clones – and needed to see him. 

“Come on,” Helix said as he appeared at Hevy’s elbow. “I’ll take you to the Jedi Healers so Fives can just worry about Rex for now.” 

Hevy looked around as Obi-Wan suddenly swept past him, striding through the hangar.

“And he’s going to go see Cody,” Helix chuckled lowly in Hevy’s ear. “Come on, let’s get you to the Healer’s grasps.”

 

Rex looked up as the door to his apartment opened, seeing a worried Fives stumble through. Fives quickly came to his side as Rex stood up, placing his hands on Rex’s shoulders and looking into his eyes.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” he asked worriedly as he quickly checked Rex over. 

“I’m okay, Fives,” Rex said quietly, smiling weakly at him. Rex leaned into Fives and Fives wrapped his arms around him, hugging him close.

“You cut your hair,” Fives murmured as he nosed against the shortened strands. Rex clenched his hands around the bottom of Fives’s chest armour. 

“Couldn’t have it long anymore,” Rex mumbled. “Too easy for people to grab.”

Fives winced at that, meeting Cody’s eyes over Rex’s shoulder, who just smiled sadly at him. Fives just sighed, holding Rex closer.

“I’m just glad you’re okay,” he murmured. Rex smiled as he pulled back.

“If you want more hugs, take the armour off,” Rex laughed, smiling weakly at him. “I forgot how solid that thing is.”

Fives laughed and gave a nod. “Give me a minute,” he said before he hurried off to the bedroom, shucking off his armour and pulling some spare clothes over his blacks. He came back out, seeing Rex was sitting on the couch, watching as Cody and Obi-Wan embraced near the door. 

Cody buried his face into Obi-Wan’s neck, breathing in his lover’s…no, his fiancé’s scent deeply.

“Missed you,” Cody murmured into Obi-Wan’s neck. 

“Missed you too, my love,” Obi-Wan said, hugging Cody closer as they swayed together. “Rex, are you okay?” he asked as he looked over Cody’s shoulder. Rex gave a nod as Fives sat beside him, curling into Fives’s warmth. 

“I will be,” Rex said, smiling slightly. “How’s Hevy?”

“Helix has taken him to the Halls of Healing so the Healers can get a proper look at him and prescribe him the right diet and nutrients so he can put weight back on again,” Obi-Wan explained. “I think it’ll do good to see you and Cody later as well.”

Rex nodded, relaxing against Fives before frowning suddenly.

“Wait, why is Helix taking Hevy? Where’s Echo?” 

Obi-Wan went to explain when his comm suddenly beeped and he fished it out of his pocket with one hand, keeping the other arm wrapped around Cody. 

“The Council is convening a meeting,” he murmured. “I’ll leave you to explain where Echo is, Fives,” Obi-Wan told him, smiling, before he turned and pressed a chaste kiss against the corner of Cody’s mouth. “And I will see you later, my love.”

Cody kissed him lightly once more, smiling. Obi-Wan squeezed Cody once more before he headed off to his meeting, leaving Fives to explain everything that had happened. 

 

Obi-Wan sighed as he walked into the Council Chambers, sitting down in his chair. “This better be good,” he sighed. “I was looking forward to catching up with Cody.” 

He frowned as he saw Mace smirk at Yoda, who cackled.

“What?” he asked suspiciously. 

“Oh, I just heard about the new piece of jewellery Cody had,” Windu said lightly, watching as Obi-Wan blushed. 

“So where did you propose and when?” Depa asked, grinning. 

“Before I left for this mission and in my lounge,” Obi-Wan answered, confused. He grew even more confused as Yoda cackled loudly and as Depa, Saesee and Mundi groaned.

“Why?” Obi-Wan asked suspiciously.

“Won the bet, I did,” Yoda grinned. “Collect from the others I will when they return.”

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. “Well, I’m glad you’ve benefited from this,” he said in disbelief. Yoda just leaned over and prodded his knee with his gimer stick.

“Good together you are, happy for you we are,” Yoda told him sincerely. 

“We did know you would get married eventually,” Mundi admitted. “We just didn’t know when.”

“You’re all ridiculous,” Obi-Wan sighed, burying his face in hands. “Please tell me this meeting wasn’t for you to collect on the betting pool?”

“No, Shaak Ti is back,” Windu said, going serious. “She should be here any moment.”

As soon as he said that, Shaak Ti strolled into the Council Chambers. She stood in the middle of the chamber instead of taking her assigned seat. 

“Are we not going to connect with the others?” Eeth Koth asked, looking around at the empty chairs of the members who were currently in field.

“Not for this,” Shaak Ti said. “This information is far too sensitive.”

Windu nodded and turned off all recording devices for the session. “What did you find, Shaak?”

“I followed the tip we were given,” Shaak started to explain, keeping it vague as Yoda and Mace had decided not to tell the others it was Dooku who gave this information just yet, not wanting the information to be leaked. 

“It was difficult to find a console to search this information since the Kaminoans were keeping a close eye on me as they usually do,” Shaak continued. “Thankfully, there was a clone who decided quite firmly that he was going to help me, despite all my protestations for his safety.” Shaak turned to Obi-Wan. “He gave me a message for you actually, Obi-Wan,” she said. “He said, and his direct words were ‘ _Tell Twig he better be eating so he can take care of Cody...or I'll come and kick his **shebs**.’_”

Obi-Wan chuckled slightly, shaking his head. “You met Alpha.”

Shaak Ti nodded, smiling slightly before it faltered. “With his help and his distraction, I was able to locate the file without being noticed and…well, as soon as I saw what was on it, I knew I had to present this to the Council in person, not trusting this through communications.”

“What did you find?” Mundi asked curiously.

“I found all seventy commands that are on the chips in the clones brains in this file and…well, you all need to read it for yourselves,” Shaak said, looking pale. “Especially Order 66.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, starting to move again :P


	28. Fears

Obi-Wan stared in horror at the list on his datapad, staring up at Shaak who stared at them, face grave. 

“These orders are horrific!” Depa gasped. “Not just the one to wipe us out, but the others too!”

“Order to take out the Chancellor,” Windu read. “Order to kill all of the Senators…”

“Gods,” Plo said suddenly, voice horrified. “There’s an order for the clones to kill themselves!”

Obi-Wan shuddered, looking to Plo, knowing he was thinking of Wolffe and his pack. He knew because his thoughts suddenly went to Cody and the members of the 212th. He couldn’t imagine losing them, not to an order that would override their free will and make them turn their weapons on themselves and on their brothers.

“We need to get these chips removed,” Depa said, looking up from her datapad. 

“We have to be careful,” Windu countered. “Skywalker and Echo are working on ways to get the chips out without surgery. We can’t allow the Sith Master to find out that we’ve discovered the chips.”

“So we’re still not telling the Senate?” Mundi asked.

“No,” Windu said firmly. “We cannot trust anyone outside of the Council and the handful of clones who know about this.”

“I was told to be careful who to trust,” Obi-Wan said slowly, carefully. “I believe Dooku’s words from Geonosis now. I believe that the Sith Master has his hooks in the Senate, that he has some sort of control there.”

“Why do you think that?” Eeth Koth asked curiously. 

“Because it makes sense,” Obi-Wan said, glancing at Windu. “How many of our missions, which nobody but the Chancellor knew about, has suddenly been compromised? How many times have the Separatists managed to ambush us? Someone is giving away this information. Someone who knows our every move.”

“You’re not saying the Chancellor…?” Depa asked surprised.

Obi-Wan sighed heavily, leaning forward. “Not necessarily,” Obi-Wan admitted, “though I do not trust him. He could be working with the Sith or is being used by the Sith, I am not yet sure.”

“We are still keeping an eye on him,” Windu added. “Especially after Kit’s read on him.”

Obi-Wan’s gaze turned back towards the datapad, stomach and heart heavy.

They had to move quickly. They had to get these chips out before the clones were forced to turn on them, forced to turn on themselves. 

 

Cody frowned as he flicked through the holo channels, trying to keep himself occupied. He, Rex and Fives had gone to see Hevy and he had been shocked to see how thin Hevy was. Hevy just grinned tiredly at them, greeting them from where he lay in the medical bed, numerous drips and wires attached to him. 

They had left him after they had caught up, chatting and having a laugh as they regaled him of stories of Fives and Echo’s exploits and bravery. 

Healer Che had come in then with some food for Hevy, gently shooing them out with a smile, saying he needed to rest. 

It had been good to see him, though he did feel guilty for thinking Hevy was dead – even though he knew they had all reason to think Hevy was dead with the Rishi Station exploding into flames and all. 

Cody looked up from his absent flicking of holo channels when the door opened and Obi-Wan walked in, looking haggard. Cody stood up as he stared at Obi-Wan worriedly, seeing the worry lines were deep around his eyes, his usually perfect copper hair was hanging loose over his forehead as though he had run his hand through it repeatedly in agitation. Obi-Wan’s shoulders were bowed and heavy like he was carrying a large burden.

“Obi?” Cody murmured worriedly as he hurried to his side. Obi-Wan just pulled Cody into his arms, holding him close and burying his face into Cody’s hair. Cody wrapped his arms around Obi-Wan, holding him close.

“Obi, what is it?” Cody asked quietly. “What happened? I was waiting for you for hours.”

“Sorry, my love,” Obi-Wan murmured. “I just…something’s happened and we’re trying to scramble to protect you all…and…”

“Obi-Wan,” Cody said worriedly, pulling back and gently cupping his face as Obi-Wan started to ramble. “What has happened?”

Obi-Wan gently grabbed his hand, tugging Cody over to the couch. Cody sat beside him, looking at him worriedly. Obi-Wan stared at him, his grey eyes wide as he took in Cody’s face.

“I need to hold you,” Obi-Wan whispered. “Please, can I hold you?” 

Cody nodded, touched that Obi-Wan had asked him, and quickly curled up in Obi-Wan’s waiting arms. Obi-Wan held Cody close, nuzzling into his hair and sighing deeply.

“Can you tell me what’s wrong now?” Cody asked, resting his head against Obi-Wan’s shoulder. 

Obi-Wan told him about how Dooku had led him and member of Ghost down a cave, how he had knocked the clones out and had set up a jammer just so he could speak to Obi-Wan. Cody listened, head tilted up so he could watch Obi-Wan’s face as he told the story. 

“He saw the scar on Waxer’s head,” Obi-Wan said, looking at Cody, who stiffened. “He was pleased that we had found it, though he knew that the chip was heavily encrypted, so he led us to Kamino, to a password hidden file which Shaak Ti uncovered and brought back to us. The contents of it was highly sensitive and we couldn’t risk it being sent over comms, so Shaak brought it back to present to the Council.”

“What was it?” Cody asked worriedly.

“The chips function,” Obi-Wan said, voice breaking slightly. “All of the orders embedded within it.” 

Cody stared at Obi-Wan, seeing the emotions raging through Obi-Wan’s grey eyes as Obi-Wan stared back at him. Obi-Wan reached up to gently cup Cody’s cheek, stroking at his cheek with a thumb. 

“The orders ranged from removing the Chancellor from office,” Obi-Wan explained quietly. “To killing the Senators…killing all of the Jedi.”

Cody’s heart stuttered at that, at the thought that he could have been made to kill his beloved, to be forced to become a mindless droid and to kill his beloved without a second thought, to kill the younglings. 

“There’s more,” Obi-Wan said quietly. “There was another order. It would have made you turn your weapons on yourself and your brothers.”

Cody stared at Obi-Wan in horror and Obi-Wan quickly pulled him close, rocking him.

“But…but…why?” Cody whispered.

“I don’t know,” Obi-Wan sighed. “I couldn’t explain why any of those seventy orders were on there, but the thought that the Sith Lord would have made you kill yourselves…I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you.”

“We could have been made to kill you, Obi!” Cody exclaimed. “My brothers could _still_ be ordered to kill all of you! …to kill themselves,” Cody broke off, choking slightly. 

“We’re going to figure it out, Cody,” Obi-Wan promised, pressing a kiss to his temple. “Anakin and Echo are on it, you know they’re the best we have.”

Cody shuddered and wrapped his arms around Obi-Wan once more, burying his face into his shoulder.

“I’m sorry, love, I shouldn’t have just dumped that on you,” Obi-Wan sighed as he gently rubbed Cody’s back. “You’ve got enough to worry about without this.”

“You could never lie to me, Obi-Wan,” Cody said, glancing up at him. “You couldn’t lie to me about something like this…could you?”

“Never, Cody,” Obi-Wan promised. “You know I’d never lie to you, even if I was told to keep this a secret from you, I never could. You’re my fiancé, _cyar’ika_ , I will never keep a secret from you.”

Cody sighed and rested his head back against Obi-Wan’s shoulder. He couldn’t help the slight pull at his lips as he realised that Obi-Wan had called him his fiancé. 

If only Jango had heard…

Cody sat up suddenly, startling Obi-Wan.

“Cody?” he asked worriedly. Cody just dug through Obi-Wan’s robes, pulling out his comm.

“Cody, love, what is it?” Obi-Wan asked as he gently grabbed Cody’s hand that held the comm.

“I need to make a call,” Cody said, looking up to meet Obi-Wan’s eyes determinedly. Obi-Wan nodded, lifting Cody’s hand to press a kiss to it before he released it. Cody frowned at the comm and he found the correct frequency. 

Obi-Wan watched as Cody stared at the comm, waiting for it to be answered. 

“ _What is it?_ ” came the terse answer.

“Did you know?” Cody just asked, staring at the comm.

“ _Know what, Kote?_ ” Jango asked curiously. 

“The chips in our brains, did you know?” Cody asked, snarling slightly.

“ _Wait…what?! What chips, Kote?!_ ”

“There are organic chips in all clones brains,” Obi-Wan spoke up, understanding now why Cody had wanted the comm so badly. “We discovered it when scanning Cody’s brain.”

“They’d override our free will,” Cody continued. “If someone uttered the right command, we could be made to kill the Jedi, made to kill the Senators, made to kill ourselves and our brothers.”

There was silence.

“ _What?_ ” Jango whispered, aghast. “ _The chip…the chip would override your free will? Make you kill yourselves?_ ”

Cody looked up, meeting Obi-Wan’s gaze. They could both tell that Jango had truly no idea about the chips.

“You really didn’t know?” Cody asked, just needing to hear Jango confirm it.

“ _No, Kote, I didn’t!_ ” Jango said before swearing loudly. “ _Could they tell when the chip was put in?_ ”

“It seems it was put in there during creation,” Obi-Wan explained. “It was too well formed with their brains to have been put in there later.”

Obi-Wan tilted his head as he heard another voice in the background. 

“ _I need to find Boba, I need to make sure he’s safe and get that Force forsaken thing out of his head!_ ”

“Boba has the chip?” Obi-Wan asked worriedly. 

Jango sighed heavily on the other end. “ _Boba was grown like the others,_ ” he explained. “ _Boba wasn’t grown special for me, he was just chosen out of the thousands created. He was like the others until he was pulled out of the birthing tube and put in my arms. He never went through the growth acceleration like the others, but until he was pulled out of the tube he was created just like the others._ ”

Obi-Wan frowned, rubbing at his beard worriedly. 

“Last I heard Boba and Bossk were causing some mischief on Alderaan,” Obi-Wan said, watching as Cody looked up at him in surprise. Obi-Wan gave him a small smile. “I try to keep track of him, just in case he needed some help.”

Cody smiled back warmly at him. 

“ _Thank you, Kenobi,_ ” Jango sighed. Obi-Wan frowned once more as he heard Jango talking quietly to someone. 

“ _Kote, take care of yourself. Kenobi, take care of Kote and get the other clones safe_ ,” Jango said. 

“We’re working on it, Jango, but you need to not spread word of this to anyone,” Obi-Wan warned. “If the Sith Master finds out, everyone is doomed.”

“ _Got it,_ ” Jango promised. “ _You have my word, Kenobi, I will not tell anyone and I will keep a low profile while getting Boba back and safe. _Haat, ijaa, haa'it_ …this line is encrypted, right?_”

“Deepest encryption possible,” Obi-Wan reassured him. “If the Council knew I told you about the chips, I’d get in so much trouble…but just make sure Boba is safe, okay?”

There was a small chuckle on the other end. “ _You’re not so bad, Kenobi. Perhaps you are worthy of my Kote._ ”

The line cut out and Obi-Wan blinked, looking up at Cody and giving a chuckle.

“Well, at least I’ve got his approval,” Obi-Wan said teasingly. “How long do you think it’ll last once he’s found out I’ve proposed to you?” 

Cody laughed softly as he buried himself back into Obi-Wan’s arms.

“Oh, I think you’d need to watch your back,” Cody chuckled. Cody sighed, resting his head against Obi-Wan’s shoulder once more.

“Everything is going to be okay, right?” Cody asked quietly. “Skywalker and Echo will figure this out, right?”

“I truly believe they will figure this out,” Obi-Wan murmured. “And I truly believe that everything will be okay in the end. I can just feel it…can’t you?”

Cody closed his eyes before he gave a small smile.

It was distant and Cody knew there were obstacles they would need to overcome…but he did truly feel it, that everything would be okay in the end.

After all, he had Obi-Wan by his side.

 

“Hey, Master Windu, Master Windu!” 

Windu sighed, wishing he could just run away but that would be very unbecoming of a member of a Jedi Council.

“Skywalker, you’re back early,” Windu said as he turned around. Anakin slid to a stop in front of him, giving a grin. 

“You know how it is,” Anakin grinned. “Go kick Separatist butt and come back.”

Windu gave a sigh and shook his head, giving a small huff of laughter. Typical Skywalker.

“Hey, I heard about Rex, is he okay?” Anakin asked quietly. “I haven’t gotten a chance to see him yet.”

“He was quite shaken,” Windu sighed. “It’s been a rather harrowing few days. Rex has been summoned by the Senate on accusations of assault by Senator Danart – I have no intention of taking him,” Windu added, seeing the shadows cross Anakin’s eyes. “However, I believe you coming along would be very beneficial for Rex and for the motion I plan to pass.”

“How?” Anakin asked, confused. 

“You were Rex’s General, you served alongside him, not to mention you went against Senate orders to rescue him, showing that you two are close friends,” Windu explained. “I plan to put forth the motion that the Jedi take over the clones welfare, so no more reconditioning or decommissioning without it going through a committee of Healers – not that we’d do that anyway, but it will allow us to find an alternate path for wounded clones.”

“So why me?”

“As I said, you are closest to Rex, you can vouch for his character, not that I believe it will come to that as I plan to show the footage from our security showing that I was the one who caused Danart to break his arm,” Windu said, folding his arms across his chest. “Ponds is coming to show the Senate the clones have a face, to show his face after the Chancellor threatened him and Bant will be accompanying us as well to give an explanation on why Rex froze and why it’s beneficial for us to take over the clones care.”

Anakin nodded. “Sure, I’ll come,” he said. “Anything to help the clones.”

“Good,” Windu said. “Now, there is something else we need to talk about but not here.”

Anakin nodded, frowning slightly, but followed Windu. 

Windu leaned against the wall, watching as Skywalker cursed and swore. He had just told him about the chips programmed orders. 

“This is just wrong!” Anakin snarled. “They’re sentient beings! Someone was going to make them kill people or themselves against their will!”

“We know,” Windu said calmly. “That’s why we need you and Echo to figure out how to shut these chips down.”

“We’re close,” Anakin admitted, rubbing the back of his neck as he calmed. “We’re just testing a few things but we think we’ve found the frequency. We just need to make sure this frequency keeps the chip down or if we can tweak it so it permanently damages the chip so it can’t send out the commands.”

Windu nodded at that, arms folding across his chest. 

“Go see Rex, Skywalker,” he said finally. “I think it’d be good for him to see you.”

“I thought I’d grab Echo and we’d get started on the chips again,” Anakin said, frowning.

“Echo isn’t here now,” Windu told him. “He should be back in the next day or so.”

“Where is he?” Anakin asked worriedly. “He and Fives went to join Obi-Wan!”

“And Hevy upset Echo so much that he had to get away to get his thoughts and emotions in order apparently?” Windu said, voice curious. “Obi-Wan tried to explain it, said that Echo needed time to rearrange thoughts when he was upset, so Plo asked for him.”

“Because he’d be looked after with Wolffe,” Anakin sighed.

“Precisely.” 

“I’ll go check on Rex then,” Anakin smiled weakly. “It’ll be good to see him.”

Windu nodded once more, pushing himself off of the wall. “I know you and Echo are working hard on these chips, but you do need to spend time with those you care for as well,” Windu said, choosing his words carefully. Anakin looked at him in shock and Windu gave a small smile before it faded.

“Something is coming, Anakin, something large,” Windu said, eyes becoming absent as he stared at something that Anakin couldn’t see. “We need all our friends and allies at our side then.”

Anakin nodded, a faint shiver running up his spine, knowing that Windu had seen something in the Force, whether it was a vision or a shatterpoint – but he knew better than to ignore that warning. 

 

Fives gave a low chuckle as Rex curled up close, hands drifting under Fives’s sleep shirt and drifting up his bare skin. 

Fives opened his eyes, lifting his head up from the pillow to look at Rex. “What are you doing, Rex’ika?” Fives asked, amused.

“Warm,” Rex murmured sleepily, looking up at Fives and giving a small smile. Fives just chuckled again, feeling Rex’s slightly calloused fingers drifting across the small scars littering Fives’s side. 

“How are you feeling, Rex?” Fives asked as his own hand rubbed circles on Rex’s back. “You looked a little unsure when Skywalker came by.”

“He’s loud,” Rex mumbled into Fives’s side. “Never realised how loud he was before.”

“You don’t like loud anymore?” Fives asked quietly.

Rex shook his head. “Loud meant anger and yelling which meant there was a punishment which meant pain incoming,” Rex muttered, clinging onto Fives tighter. Fives moved his hand up so his fingers were lightly scritching at Rex’s scalp, trying to calm and reassure him. He gave a sad smile as he felt Rex relax against him, almost purring at the sensation of getting his head scritched.

“You know he won’t hurt you,” Fives reassured him. “He gets angry but he’d never take it out on you. I’d kill him if he did.”

Rex looked up, smiling at Fives. 

“I know he won’t, _cyar’ika_ …and thank you.”

Fives smiled, arching his neck so he could place a light kiss on Rex’s head. He rested his head back on the pillow, still gently running his fingers through Rex’s shortened hair and scratching lightly at his scalp, focusing on the feeling of Rex’s hands drifting around his back and sides, examining every inch of Fives’s skin that he could. 

It suddenly occurred to Fives why he was doing that.

“You’re not looking for new scars, are you?” Fives asked, opening his eyes so he look back down at Rex.

“Not really,” Rex told him. “Mostly because you’re warm and your scars are familiar, but I know you’d tell me if you got hurt enough that you gained a new scar.”

“Of course, _cyare_ ,” promised Fives, hearing the hint of warning within Rex’s tone.

“Good,” Rex said contently as he settled down once again. Fives smiled once more, closing his eyes as he felt Rex relaxing against him, feeling Rex’s solid bulk and warmth permeating through his clothes, warming him. 

He truly loved moments like these.

 

Cody slowly came out of sleep, feeling warm and safe and pleasantly rested, feeling like he was almost floating he was that comfortable. He could feel Obi-Wan’s weight beside him, feel Obi-Wan’s soft breaths puffing against the side of his neck and the warmth of Obi-Wan’s body keeping him nice and warm. 

Cody frowned suddenly, eyes flittering open as he felt something hard pressing against his thigh, though he couldn’t quite figure out what. 

His eyes flew open and his heart stuttered as he realised _what_ it was and he looked to Obi-Wan, finding him still peacefully asleep beside him.

Cody looked back at the ceiling, heart racing in his chest and unsure of what to do, feeling uncomfortable and suddenly trapped. 

Thankfully, Obi-Wan sensed his unease through the Force, which woke him. Obi-Wan blinked open his eyes, sitting up as he murmured, “Cody?” worriedly. 

Cody sat up, shifting away slightly. “I-I’m okay,” he whispered. “I just…wasn’t expecting that.”

“Expecting…oh,” Obi-Wan murmured as Cody glanced down at the bulging fabric at Obi-Wan’s groin. “I’m sorry, love.” 

Cody sighed, bringing his knees up. “You shouldn’t need to apologize,” he muttered. “It’s a body’s natural response…and I _should_ be helping you with it, I mean, you’re my partner!”

“Cody, it’s fine,” Obi-Wan promised him, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to his cheek. “I’ve dealt with this for years by myself before you came along and I’ll deal with it until you’re ready again.”

“And if I’m never ready again?”

“Then me and my hand will get better reacquainted again,” Obi-Wan said, smiling reassuringly. “I’m sorry to have startled you. Now, let me go take care of this and have a shower, then I’ll make you breakfast.”

Cody gave a weak smile in response to Obi-Wan’s warm one, watching as Obi-Wan slipped from the bed and headed towards the bathroom.

Cody sighed as he wrapped his arms around his legs, burying his head into his knees. 

He felt like a horrible fiancé. 

Obi-Wan didn’t deserve to have to use his hand or resort to cold showers to sate his needs. Cody shuddered. What if he got tired of having to do it himself? 

He huffed in frustration, kneecaps digging into his cheeks. He was sick and tired of being scared of something so trivial like being intimate again! 

He knew Obi-Wan wouldn’t hurt him, wouldn’t force himself on him, so why was he so scared? 

Cody looked up, staring towards the bathroom door in determination. 

He was tired of letting his fears control him, tired of letting Tram win. 

Now he just needed to persuade Obi-Wan that he was okay and that he wanted to try be intimate with him again.

Cody swallowed hard, heart racing in his chest.

After all, once he did it with Obi-Wan and everything was great…the fear would disappear…right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah no, Cody...
> 
> So, how are you liking how things are going?


	29. Facing Fears

“Wolffe, would you stop fussing, I’m okay!” Echo laughed as he swatted at Wolffe’s head as Wolffe leaned over him, rearranging the pillows under Echo’s elevated and bandaged leg. 

“You were hurt,” Wolffe growled, leaning up to nip at Echo’s lip, making Echo grin. “Let me fuss.” 

“It’s not too bad, Wolf’ika,” Echo reassured him as he grabbed his hand. “Scratch wouldn’t have let me leave the medbay otherwise.” 

Wolffe just gave him a look before he covered Echo’s lower half with a blanket as Echo had had to strip to his briefs so Scratch could access Echo’s leg to clean up the wounds. Wolffe left his bandaged leg out of the blanket though, keeping an eye on the areas where blood had leaked through the white bandage. 

“If we weren’t so short with bacta, you would have been treated with it,” Wolffe said as he settled down beside Echo, with Echo immediately leaning into his side.

“I’m not too serious then,” Echo countered, making Wolffe huff. Echo looked at Wolffe, seeing Wolffe was still staring at his bandaged leg, golden eye lost in thought. 

Wolffe had been on the ground with Echo close by as they fought to get the droids to retreat. There had been an explosion nearby and some of the clones were caught in it, injured and unable to get out of the firing line. Echo had run over, grabbing arms and dragging the fallen brothers to behind cover where a medic could get to them. 

He had just been running back to Wolffe’s side when a detonator had hit the ground near him, exploding right next to him. The armour on Echo’s left leg had broken and cracked from his thigh piece to his shin, with shrapnel burying its way into Echo’s skin despite what was left of his armour and practically shredding the skin. 

Wolffe had run to Echo’s side then, hoisting him up and over his shoulder as he fired at the droids, even as Plo covered his retreat so he could get Echo somewhere safe. He had _hated_ to leave Echo with the medics, but he knew he was needed on the frontlines, driving the droids back so they could get off that planet. 

Thankfully, the droids did retreat and they were able to leave with General Fisto and his men, most of them now on the Wolfpack’s ship as Fisto’s one had been damaged during battle and had had to retreat, leaving those on the ground. 

“Wolffe?” Echo murmured, reaching up to touch Wolffe’s face. Wolffe turned his face into Echo’s hand, smiling at him.

“Sorry, Pup, was just thinking,” Wolffe said quietly. 

“Of what?” Echo asked curiously. 

“Of how much I just wanted the battle to end so I could run to your side,” Wolffe murmured, taking Echo’s hand in his own. “I was so worried about you but…but I knew I had to finish the battle…but…”

“But you still worried for me,” Echo finished, smiling at him. “I may have been sedated to the eyeballs, but I knew you were there by my side the moment you were free to do so.”

“I just wish there had been enough bacta,” Wolffe grumbled, looking back at Echo’s leg. “That way you wouldn’t have your leg stitched up and be in pain until we get back to Coruscant.”

“Scratch has me on some good painkillers,” Echo said reassuringly, smiling warmly at him. “And…and really, this pain isn’t so bad compared to what the burns were.”

Wolffe shuddered at that and wrapped his arms around Echo, holding him close. Echo nuzzled his nose into Wolffe’s neck before kissing it. Wolffe chuckled at the feeling, gently squeezing him. 

“I promise I’ll be all right, _cyar’ika_ ,” Echo murmured into Wolffe’s neck. “Scratch said that I’ll be okay, even with waiting for bacta. There’ll be no permanent damage done.”

“I know you’ll be okay,” Wolffe said, “but I’ll always worry about you.”

Echo smiled against his neck which Wolffe felt. “I love you, you big softy,” Echo murmured into his skin.

Wolffe’s heart skipped a beat as it always did when he heard his lover tell him that he loved him.

“I love you too, Pup,” Wolffe said sincerely, nuzzling against him. “I was so scared I was going to lose you.”

“You’ll never lose me, Wolffe, never.”

Wolffe paused at that thought. He never wanted to lose Echo. Ever. He truly adored this brainy little ARC Trooper more than he ever loved anyone and probably would ever love. Wolffe knew what he had to say though his heart fluttered nervously as he pulled back so he could meet Echo’s curious golden-brown eyes. Wolffe had just opened his mouth when there was a chime at the door and Wolffe sighed, getting to his feet and walking over. 

“ _Buir_ , is everything okay?” Wolffe asked.

“Yes, my son, everything is fine,” Plo’s calm voice responded. “Though Comet was looking for your help with something, though I believe he did not want to disturb you and Echo. You should go help him.”

“But…”

“I will look after Echo, my son,” Plo said, voice fond. “I’ll be here until you come back so he isn’t alone.”

Wolffe looked back at Echo who smiled warmly at him and nodded. Wolffe sighed, knowing that he’d talk to Echo later, before he looked at Plo, giving a small smile. Plo inclined his head and Wolffe headed out to find his brother. 

Plo walked into Wolffe’s room and settled down on a chair beside the bunk Echo was laying in. 

“How are you feeling, young Echo?” Plo asked, glancing down at Echo’s bandaged leg. “How is your leg?”

“It aches but it isn’t so bad,” Echo said, looking down at his bandaged leg as well as it peeked out from under the blanket covering his lower half. 

“Wolffe was quite worried about you,” Plo continued, looking back to meet Echo’s face, the corners of his mask pulling up in a smile. “He has never loved anyone as much as he loves you, that is plain to see.” 

Echo smiled, smoothing the blanket out around him. “I love him,” he said quietly, looking at Plo.

“Oh, I can see that you do, so very much,” Plo assured him. Echo smiled as he leaned back against the mound of pillows that Wolffe had set up behind him, sighing tiredly. 

“I am thankful that you are okay though,” Plo continued. “I’m also thankful for the lives you helped save today. I saw how you pulled my wounded men to safety.”

Echo blinked as he looked to Plo. “I had to,” Echo said, sounding confused as to why he was being praised for this. “They were hurt and couldn’t get to cover.”

“You still risked your life for them, Echo, and it is an admirable thing you did,” Plo praised. Echo’s cheeks turned pink at Plo’s praise.

“I-I just…I don’t think any brother should be left behind,” Echo mumbled. 

“Because your brothers refused to leave you behind on the Citadel?” Plo questioned curiously. Echo blinked, lifting his head to look at Plo, who tilted his head as he regarded Echo.  
“I was there to help pull you off the Citadel,” Plo told him gently. “You were so out of it with pain and with what pain killers Cody and Rex managed to inject you with. Scratch had rushed you to the medbay so you didn’t see the resulting argument afterwards.”

“Argument, sir?” Echo asked, curious.

“Yes, we rushed out of there, needing to get you to a proper medical station as soon as we could, but a certain Naval Captain was quite displeased about the detour,” Plo said. Echo’s face darkened.

“Tarkin,” he growled. “Fives told me how Tarkin kept trying to get Obi-Wan to leave me behind, saying I was a dead weight.”

“Yes, him,” Plo sighed, leaning back. “He insisted we rush back to Coruscant, but we refused, stating you were more important. We told him we would drop you off and hurry off but that still wasn’t good enough.”

“Why did you tell me this?” Echo asked, swallowing hard. 

“Because I know why you fight so hard for your brothers,” Plo said, “because they fought so hard for you…and I am glad they did so. You’ve been so good for Wolffe and you are a good man, Echo.”

Echo gave a weak smile, relaxing further into the pillows. 

Plo looked up as the door opened once more and Kit Fisto peeked in. 

“Kit,” Plo greeted. “How are your men?”

“The wounded are all treated and the others are all settled in with your men, thank you, Plo,” Kit said as he stepped in, smiling at Echo. “Ah, our brave ARC Trooper, I heard you were the one who dragged Tryst to safety. How is your leg?” 

“It’s fine, thank you, sir,” Echo answered, a little overwhelmed by the attention. 

Kit raised his eyebrow ridges, looking to Plo. “Such bravery,” Kit told Plo. “If my leg was wounded like that, I’d be complaining.”

Plo gave a chuckle at that as Echo’s face flushed. Kit grinned as Echo’s blush as well.

“What brought you to find me, Kit?” Plo asked, looking back to Kit. 

“I wanted to see if you wanted to have tea with me,” Kit said. 

“I would but I promised Wolffe I would stay with young Echo,” Plo said, glancing to Echo as Echo went to protest. “And I will stay because he can’t move without help at the moment,” he said, watching as Echo closed his mouth and flushed darkly. 

“Well, perhaps I can join you then, if you don’t mind that is, Echo?” Kit asked, looking back to Echo. Echo felt a little embarrassed by the attention and knowing that he was just in his briefs under the blanket, but gave a small nod. 

Kit grinned warmly at him. “Would you like some tea too? Or would you like some water?”

“Water, please,” Echo murmured. Kit nodded, his tentacles wriggling happily before he left. 

“Kit is a good man,” Plo started to say. “Quite young for a Council Member, much like Obi-Wan, but he has a good heart.” Plo tilted his head, looking thoughtful. “He reminds me so much of an old friend long gone.”

“General?” Echo asked curiously. Plo looked back to Echo, the corners of his breathing mask twitching up slightly.

“Forgive me, Echo, an old man’s rambling,” Plo said, giving a small laugh. 

“You’re not old, sir,” Echo said, which made Plo chuckle deeply.

“Oh, I am a lot older than you think, young Echo,” Plo informed him. “My people age quite slowly and we live quite longer than most species…except for Yoda of course.”

“Is anyone else as old as him?” Echo asked before his eyes widened in horror that he just said that. Plo just laughed in response. Kit chose that moment to come back in, carrying cups of tea while a bottle of water floated next to him. Kit just winked at Echo as the bottle of water floated over to him, with Echo plucking it from mid-air. 

“Echo was just asking if there was anyone as old as Yoda,” Plo said as Kit handed him a cup of tea with a straw in it. Echo flushed once more as Kit sat down on the edge of the bed near Echo’s feet. 

Kit hummed thoughtfully. “Yaddle?” 

Plo inclined his head at that. “Though we haven’t heard from her in quite some years now since she choose to go and live as a nomad and travel.”

“Who’s Yaddle?” Echo asked curiously. 

“Yaddle is basically a female Yoda,” Kit said, snickering slightly. “She was a few years older than him.”

“It was quite humorous to see her put him in his place at times,” Plo told them. “She used to treat him like a misbehaving youngling.”

Echo stared at them in disbelief, not believing that someone treated Yoda like a misbehaving youngling. Yoda was so _old_.

Kit finished his tea and placed the empty cup on the nearby desk. Kit turned back around, looking at Echo’s leg curiously. 

“Do you mind if I examine your leg?” Kit asked suddenly, surprising Echo. “I won’t touch it, I’ll examine it with the Force.”

“You can do that?” Echo asked, surprised. Kit gave a small chuckle.

“I have some training in Healing,” Kit told him as he turned slightly. “My old Padawan is a Healer, quite a good one too.”

“Your Padawan?” Echo murmured. Kit nodded. 

“Yes, I have had a couple,” Kit said. “I lost Nahdar to Grevious not that long ago.”

“I heard about that,” Echo said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

Kit smiled sadly at him. “Thank you, Echo, though I have to admit, we did not have the best relationship beforehand. I had to have another Jedi take over his training to get him ready for the trials.”

“It was something we regret asking you to do,” Plo murmured. “You should have been able to see him to Knighthood, not be pulled every which way by the war.”

Kit gave a small shrug. “It is what it is,” he just said quietly. “Nahdar is one with the Force, but at least I still have my little Bantling.”

Plo gave a small, warm chuckle at that. “You always did adore her.”

“And now she is doing wonders as a Healer,” Kit replied.

Echo frowned thoughtfully at that. “Bantling,” he murmured, gaining the Jedi’s attention. “Do you mean Bant?”

Kit’s eyebrow ridges rose towards his head tentacles as he looked to Echo. “You know her?”

“She’s helping Rex and Cody,” Echo said. “She’s been really good for them. Rex is rather fond of her.”

Kit grinned at that, his tentacles wriggling happily. He always did love hearing about Bant and how well she was going. He still remembered how small and vulnerable she looked after Tahl had been killed, that was a reason that he took her on as a Padawan, knowing she needed someone to be there for her, plus they could swim together. 

“You can look at my leg if you’d like,” Echo said as he settled back down against the mound of pillows. Kit smiled and gave a nod.

“It won’t hurt but it may feel a bit odd,” he warned him. Echo nodded and watched as Kit’s webbed hands hovered over his bandaged leg. Plo watched on curiously.

Kit nodded, taking his hands away. “Some muscle and skin damage but you should heal pretty quickly once we get some bacta.”

They all looked around as the door opened, finding a surprised Wolffe standing there, staring at Kit in confusion. Kit just smiled at him as he got to his feet, gathering his empty tea cup.

“I’m going to see how Monnk is going,” Kit just said cheerfully. 

“Yes, I should check on the Pack,” Plo agreed as he stood up. “Echo is in good hands with Wolffe now.”

Wolffe stepped aside so Plo and Kit could get out. Plo stopped for a moment, placing a hand on Wolffe’s shoulder and murmuring, “Good luck, my son,” before he headed off. 

Wolffe blinked, staring after Plo as he and Kit headed down the hall, both talking to one another, before he shook his head, heading back into the room and squeezing into the bed next to Echo. 

Echo smiled as he rested his head against Wolffe’s shoulder as Wolffe took Echo’s hand in his own. 

“How’s everything?” Echo asked quietly. 

“All running smoothly,” Wolffe assured him. Echo nodded, sighing as he settled against Wolffe’s side.

“Hey, Pup?” Wolffe said, almost hesitantly. He hadn’t known what to do, so he spoke to his Pack, who all encouraged him to make the move.

“Mm?”

“T-There’s something I need to tell you,” Wolffe said. Echo sat up, looking at Wolffe worriedly.

“Are you okay?” Echo asked, concerned. Wolffe smiled at him, squeezing his hand reassuringly.

“I’m fine,” he reassured him, “but I’ve been thinking.” Wolffe took in a deep breath, steeling himself, before he looked back to Echo. “I never thought I could love someone as much as I love you, Pup, and I’ve come to realise that I will never love anyone as much as I love you.”

Echo stared at Wolffe, golden-brown eyes wide. 

“You’ve been the best thing that has ever happened to me…and I never want to lose you.”

“Wolffe,” Echo whispered. Wolffe smiled and squeezed Echo’s hands.

“Echo,” Wolffe said. “Will you be my _riduur_?” 

Echo nodded, still in shock and speechless. Wolffe grinned and pulled Echo into a close, tight hug.

“Yes, yes, yes,” Echo whispered finally. “I will be your _riduur_ , I love you so much, Wolffe.”

“I love you too, Echo.”

 

Obi-Wan smiled as he climbed into bed that night. He and Cody had had a good day, visiting Hevy, before they had to leave so the Mind Healers could check his mind to make sure he hadn’t been brainwashed and that he had no ill intentions, and then they went and spent some time with Rex before having a nice lunch in the Room of a Thousand Fountains near the waterfall. 

He had noticed Cody had been rather distracted throughout the day though, feeling nervous. 

Obi-Wan looked to Cody as Cody settled into bed beside him, though there was a furrow in his brow as he looked to Obi-Wan.

“Cody?” Obi-Wan questioned gently. “Are you okay?”

He was startled as Cody was suddenly close, kissing him fiercely. He blinked in shock as Cody pulled away slightly. 

“I want you,” Cody whispered, hands drifting up Obi-Wan’s sides. “I want you.”

Obi-Wan pulled back somewhat, eyes wide as he stared at Cody, who was breathing heavily. “Cody,” he whispered. 

“Don’t you want me too?” Cody asked. Obi-Wan searched Cody’s amber eyes, seeing the anxiety and want within them and knew he had to tread carefully. 

“Of course I want you, love,” Obi-Wan said, “but you can’t rush yourself, Cody.”

“I know what I want…and I want you, Obi,” Cody pleaded. Obi-Wan gave a small nod.

“If you want to stop at any time, you will tell me,” Obi-Wan told him as he gently cupped Cody’s face. “You need to promise me.”

Cody nodded, though he did not give a verbal answer, before pushing himself closer to Obi-Wan and kissing him desperately. 

Obi-Wan knew he shouldn’t be agreeing to this, not soon after Cody had come home, but he knew if he refused straight up Cody’s abandonment anxiety would kick in and he would think Obi-Wan didn’t want him anymore. 

They were soon both stripped naked, hands exploring as they kissed deeply, though Obi-Wan kept a close watch on Cody’s emotions in the Force.

Cody grabbed Obi-Wan, rolling them over so Obi-Wan was on top.

“I want you in me,” Cody told him, arching up to kiss Obi-Wan desperately. Obi-Wan leaned over to grab the bottle of oil before kissing Cody softly once more.

As soon as he oiled up his fingers, he worked on stretching Cody out, trying not to frown as he felt Cody’s fear and nervousness spiking. 

“Please, Obi, please,” Cody whispered, trying to draw him in. Obi-Wan felt another sharp burst of panic from Cody and shook his head, backing away.

“No, Cody, I can’t,” he said gently. “I can feel your fear, you’re not ready.”

Cody sobbed as he sat up, grabbing onto Obi-Wan’s arms. 

“Please, Obi!” he sobbed. “I don’t want to feel Tram anymore, I want to feel you! I want to remember you! I don’t want to be scared anymore!”

Obi-Wan shifted closer, wrapping his arms around Cody and holding him close. 

“Oh, my love,” Obi-Wan murmured. “I know you’re scared, but you can’t rush this.”

“I-I just…I want everything to go back to how it was,” Cody sobbed into his shoulder. “I want to be with you.” 

Obi-Wan nodded as he gently rubbed Cody’s back. 

“I’m just so tired of being scared,” Cody mumbled against Obi-Wan’s shoulder. “I don’t want you to leave me because I’m damaged.”

“Cody, I will _never_ leave you,” Obi-Wan promised him, though it felt like his heart was breaking as he heard Cody’s broken admission. “I don’t want you to rush for me. I’ll be here for you through everything, no matter what.”

“I’m just so tired, Obi,” Cody admitted. “So tired of being scared and letting my fears stop everything.”

Obi-Wan nodded, pressing a reassuring kiss to Cody’s temple.

“I want to be with you…but I’m still so scared after what Tram did to me, how he made me…” Cody broke off, burying his face into Obi-Wan’s neck. “But I still want to be with you so badly.”

“So we take things slow,” Obi-Wan said gently. “We find what you’re comfortable with and go slow.”

Cody carefully took his face out of Obi-Wan’s neck, looking at him with watery amber eyes. 

“C-Can we try something?” he asked quietly. “I just…I just want to feel some sort of control again, something that Tram can’t take from me.”

Obi-Wan nodded in understanding before he gently cupped Cody’s face in hand and tilted his head up so he could meet Cody’s eyes.

“Just as long as you promise me that you will tell me if you’re getting anxious or if we’re moving too fast,” Obi-Wan told him. “I need you to promise me this time, Cody.”

“I promise, Obi-Wan,” Cody told him sincerely. “I-I won’t lie again, I won’t try and push myself when I’m not ready.”

Obi-Wan nodded, agreeing for now, though he would stop this if he felt Cody’s anxiety spike again and that would be it until he spoke to Bant. Cody smiled at him, shifting so he could kiss Obi-Wan. 

They took it slowly this time, kissing each other deeply as their hands gently roved each other, re-familiarizing themselves with each other’s bodies. The heat and passion grew as the kisses grew hotter and Obi-Wan gently shifted them so they were both laying on their sides, facing each other. 

“You okay?” Obi-Wan asked softly, checking in with him. Cody’s cheeks were flushed and his amber eyes alight, but he nodded, smiling reassuringly at Obi-Wan. 

“W-What d-do you have in mind?” Cody asked breathlessly. Obi-Wan slowly and carefully shifted so both of their hard lengths were pressed against one anothers.

“Oh,” Cody breathed, grinning. Obi-Wan smiled as he took both of their lengths in his hand. 

“Will you let me do the work or would you like to help?” Obi-Wan asked, a bit breathless as pleasure spiked through them. 

Cody placed his hand over Obi-Wan’s. “I want to be part of this,” he told Obi-Wan quietly. “I want to have some control.”

Obi-Wan nodded in understanding, letting Cody control their pace as they both thrust against each other in Obi-Wan’s grip. Obi-Wan kept his gaze on Cody’s face, watching as the flush darkened in pleasure and as Cody’s amber eyes went hazy with pleasure.

“You are so beautiful, my love,” Obi-Wan murmured to him. “You’re so brave and I am so lucky to have you.”

Cody smiled at him, leaning forward to kiss him. They both moaned in pleasure, their thrusts becoming more erratic as they reached their peak. Cody came first, crying out as his back arched, and Obi-Wan followed quickly after. 

Obi-Wan rolled over to grab a discarded shirt from the floor, cleaning them both up. Cody soon snuggled into his arms and Obi-Wan could feel the happiness radiating from him.

“How was that?” Obi-Wan asked gently. 

“Good,” Cody told him, smiling at him. “I feel better, like Tram can’t control me…but…but I do want to take it slow now, I don’t know how I’ll feel being penetrated.”

Obi-Wan nodded in understanding. 

“That’s fine, my love,” Obi-Wan murmured as he rubbed Cody’s back. “Even if you never want to be taken again, you know I’m happy to bottom.”

Cody laughed against Obi-Wan’s chest at that. 

“But you’re feeling okay, right?” Obi-Wan asked, a little worried. Cody looked up once more, smiling.

“Yes,” Cody promised. “It feels like I’m getting control back in my life, even if we’re taking it slow.”

Obi-Wan nodded, rubbing Cody’s back.

Cody snuggled closer, feeling a bit more at ease now. He had to admit, he had been terrified when Obi-Wan was sitting in between his legs, finger inside him. 

He hadn’t seen Obi-Wan when he felt that, all he saw was Tram looming over him.

Cody was thankful that Obi-Wan had felt his fear and pulled away, not pushing him and not allowing Cody to push him into finishing the act. He did feel a little guilty that he pushed Obi-Wan into going that far, knowing that Obi-Wan had felt his fear of being abandoned, but he felt grateful that Obi-Wan hadn’t completely pushed him aside or rejected him. 

He knew that if Obi-Wan had outright said no that he would have thought that Obi-Wan didn’t want him because he was damaged, though he knew in his heart that Obi-Wan would never think that.

Cody did feel a bit more in control now, knowing that Tram couldn’t take this away from him, and feeling like he was slowly, ever so slowly, beginning to recover. 

And he was just thankful that Obi-Wan was by his side to make sure he didn’t do foolish and to help him take things slow, being there to support him.

He knew he would be okay as long as Obi-Wan was by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took a little while...and I do hope that Cody scene was okay, it was a bit hard to get out, to portray the emotions and thoughts involved...


	30. Tup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm beginning to think that this story may be close to being as long as Break is...

Tup grinned as he was pulled into a tight hug the moment the door to Rex’s apartment opened.

“Hello, _vod’ika_ ,” Rex murmured as he reached up to cup the back of Tup’s head. “How are you?”

“ _Ori’vod_ ,” Tup murmured back as he wrapped his arms around Rex and hugged him back tightly. “I’m okay.”

Rex pulled back slightly so he could meet Tup’s eyes and searched the honey gold eyes. He found what he was searching for and gave a sad smile. “Jek hasn’t contacted you yet, has he?”

Tup gave a small shake of his head and Rex sighed, taking Tup’s hand and leading him into the apartment. Rex settled Tup down on the couch before heading into the kitchenette. Tup gave a small smile, shaking his fondly as he watched Rex bustle around, grabbing some calming tea that Obi-Wan had put him onto. 

“You know, I never think I saw you as a tea drinking kind of guy,” Tup spoke up as Rex kept moving about in the kitchen, throwing together a quick lunch as the tea steeped. Rex gave a small chuckle.

“I never thought I would be either,” Rex admitted, “but I’ve gone off caf. Several months without having it made me realise how bad it actually tastes.”

Tup laughed at that. Most of the _vode_ survived on caf, no matter how sludgy and bitter it got, they just got used to it for the caffeine hit. 

“Tea though?”

“Hey, you like it, why are you digging at me for liking it?” Rex laughed as he poured the tea. “And I like the one with flavours,” Rex added. “Doesn’t taste like leaf water then.”

Tup nodded in agreement as Rex walked over with the tea, placing it front of Tup, before he headed back into the kitchenette to get the sandwiches he had just thrown together. Tup smiled as he took a sip of the warm tea, sighing at the slightly sweet, flowery taste. Rex sat down beside him, grabbing his own tea. 

“Obi-Wan put me onto this one,” Rex explained. “It’s a calming one, which has been good for Cody and I.” 

Tup nodded as he sipped his tea. “He has good taste in tea, well…mostly, there is one that tastes vile. I don’t know why he drinks it, he said he’s not fond of it either but his Master put him onto it.”

Rex decided to keep his opinion on that matter to himself, he didn’t want to worry Tup about Obi-Wan, especially if he learnt about Obi-Wan’s old Master. 

“Don’t forget to eat, Tup’ika,” Rex said, nodding to the sandwiches as he leaned back in his armchair. Tup gave him a small smile, reaching forward to grab a sandwich. 

“How are you going, Rex?” Tup asked quietly a few moments later. “We heard what happened; Skywalker was furious.”

Rex gave a weak smile. “I’ll be okay,” he promised. “Fives has been helpful, but he had to go back to the barracks for duty today.”

“Yes, I think Echo was meant to be with him except he’s with Wolffe,” Tup continued thoughtfully. “We didn’t know why they were sent off until we came back and found Fives here, and then found out that Echo had gone on to join Wolffe.”

“Hevy upset him,” Rex explained, watching as Tup took another sandwich. “Echo has always felt like he never does enough in Hevy’s eyes, and I get where he’s coming from. Fives told me Hevy had said to him and I get why it hurt Echo. Echo has a soft heart despite his at times tough façade.”

Tup nodded in agreement, fiddling with his empty tea cup. “He’s like me, I think,” Tup murmured quietly. “We just want to prove ourselves to our big brothers.”

“Oh, Tup’ika,” Rex murmured, shifting closer to Tup. “You know how proud I am of you, right?” 

Tup gave a weak smile in response before resting his head against Rex’s shoulder. 

“I felt like a failure after the whole thing with Jek,” Tup admitted quietly, fingers fiddling with the tea cup cradled in his hands. “I just…the way everyone was looking at me, I felt like I let them down and that everything I worked for was for nothing. I-I think that’s why I get Echo. He worked so hard to be a great ARC Trooper and then his brother puts him down as though all of his hard work meant nothing.”

Rex wrapped his arm around Tup, gently nuzzling into Tup’s soft hair. 

“You fell in love, Tup, despite the circumstances behind it, Jek does love you as I know you love him,” Rex murmured. “I’m still so proud of you. I’m proud of you for being so strong, for even considering talking to Jek again.”

Tup sat up, looking at Rex hesitantly.

“W-Why did you take me into Torrent Company?” Tup asked quietly, almost hesitantly. “You could have had anyone but you chose me, a Shiny.”

“You weren’t a Shiny then, Tup’ika,” Rex said as he held his younger brother close. “You survived such a hard battle, one that claimed your brothers, and you came out the other end still strong – though a little shaken of course,” Rex continued. 

Rex still remembered that day, that moment, as he had gone along to check on the survivors of that battle, especially the ones who had their squads wiped out. He remembered seeing Tup sitting on a large crate, bucket held loosely in his hands between his legs as he stared at the floor, looking lost. 

 

_Rex walked up to the trooper sitting on the large crate, feet a few inches off the floor. The trooper was somewhat bent over so he could stare at the bucket hanging loosely in his hands between his legs, just off the edge of the crate, or he could have been looking past that to the steel grey floors, Rex couldn’t quite tell._

_He also had quite long hair for a Shiny, which was hanging loose about his face._

_“Hey,” Rex greeted gently as he approached. The trooper looked up, meeting Rex’s gaze and Rex barely kept from flinching as he realised just how **young** this trooper was. _

_“Captain,” the trooper said, voice wavering. He looked like he wanted to get up but at the same time just couldn’t find the energy. The trooper did shift slightly, as though he was about to slip off the crate, but Rex just held up his hand stopping the trooper with a small smile._

_“Stay seated, **vod** , please,” Rex said. “What’s your name?”_

_“It’s Tup, sir,” Tup introduced himself, watching as Rex pulled himself up to sit on the crate next to Tup._

_“You were one of the new transfers, right?” Rex asked. “I hadn’t gotten around to meeting you before the battle.”_

_Tup nodded, looking back at his grimy, dirty armour, still blank and lacking the 501st blue._

_“My batchmates and I just got on board when we were told to prepare ourselves for battle.”_

_Rex winced at that. Ideally he would have liked to keep the new transfers on the ship for their first battle, but this one had required all available troops and that decision was taken out of his hands._

_“I read the casualty reports,” Rex continued carefully. “You were the only one to survive out of your squad, out of your batchmates.”_

_Tup sighed, shoulders dropping, hair shifting forward slightly as Tup moved, almost curtaining his face. Rex reached up to tuck Tup’s black hair behind his ear so he could still see Tup’s face._

_“Sorry, sir,” Tup murmured. “My hair-tie snapped.”_

_“It’s fine, Tup,” Rex reassured him. He rested his hand on Tup’s back reassuringly. “How are you coping?”_

_“I’m fine, sir,” Tup said quietly._

_“Tup, you don’t need to lie to me,” Rex told him softly. “I lost my batchmates too and I know how it hurts.”_

_Tup’s shoulders bowed in further as a rough sob broke free of Tup’s control. Rex wrapped an arm around the lithe shoulders, holding the young **vod** close._

_“Why did I survive?” Tup whispered._

_Rex sighed. He had read the casualty report on that one. He had also been nearby when that incident had occurred._

_There had been an incoming shell and the order was yelled to take cover. Some of the Shinies hadn’t reacted quickly enough to the yell. Tup was one of the very few who did and who had managed to run and throw himself behind cover._

_“You acted quickly and smartly,” Rex told him. “You ran to throw yourself behind cover.”_

_“Why didn’t they?” Tup whispered brokenly._

_“It happens,” Rex explained sadly. “Real life battles are so different than the simulations. Sure, we’re used to droids shooting at us, but when it comes to hearing your brothers screaming for help and seeing them fall around you, to even the smell of the blood and the burnt ozone from the blasters…it can make you freeze. It’s something that takes getting used to – and while some can battle through it the first time, some struggle to comprehend the vastness of it all.”_

_“I…I miss them.”_

_“It’s okay for you to miss them,” Rex reassured him. “I still miss my brothers.”_

_“What’s going to happen now, Captain?” Tup asked quietly, looking at him._

_“For now you recover and come to terms with everything,” Rex told him before knocking on his grimy armour. “Get your armour painted with a nice coat of blue, I think.”_

_Tup’s honey eyes widened and Rex smiled somewhat sadly at the youthful innocence._

_“C-Captain?”_

_“You’re the type of trooper I want in the 501st, Tup,” Rex told him. “So give yourself some colour, find a way to mourn your brothers that suits you, and after our leave on Coruscant, I’ll find you a squad.”_

_Tup nodded but gave a heavy sigh as he looked to his hands. “I-I don’t know what to do to mourn them or…or about a new squad.”_

_“You’ll think of something,” Rex assured him. “Some brothers paint their armour in designs that remind them of their brothers, others get tattoos – you just need to find your own way.”_

_Tup gave a nod, looking at Rex again._

_“As for a squad, you need brothers to watch your back,” Rex told him gently. “I was the same as you, Tup, I didn’t know what to think when I was told I was being reassigned to a new squad with new brothers, not so soon after I lost mine, but…but it ended up being the best thing.”_

_“Rex!”_

_Rex sighed at Skywalker’s call, not wanting to leave the mourning **vod’ika**. _

_“Make sure you eat, keep hydrated and get some sleep, okay?” Rex told him. “I’ll come see you when I can.”_

_Tup gave a small, tired smile and a nod. “Thanks, Captain.”_

_Rex squeezed his shoulder before he slipped off the crate to join Skywalker._

_He kept thinking of Tup throughout the day and well into the night cycle when he sat at the desk in his office, frowning at his datapad._

_Tup reminded him so much of himself, losing his brothers when they were both young. Well, Rex was still a cadet but Tup was still so young himself. Rex had been horrified to see Tup’s age when he had decided to look through Tup’s file._

_Tup should have still been on Kamino; he was still too young, but they were getting sent out earlier and earlier these days._

_Rex leaned back in his chair, frowning once again._

_When he had lost his brothers, being transferred to Cody’s squad was the best thing. He had older brothers who took care of him, who loved him and helped him through the hardest days and protected him. Rex tilted his head at that._

_Tup needed some older brothers, ones who would take him in and love him, take care of him and protect him._

_Rex smiled as he pulled the datapad towards him, tapping in the orders and filling out the paperwork._

_He knew just the squad to place Tup in. One with brothers who truly cared and would help him grow, one that Rex worked with the most so he could keep an eye on Tup as well._

_Tup would be good for Torrent Company._

 

Rex smiled as he stroked Tup’s hair as Tup rested his head on Rex’s shoulder. 

He certainly didn’t regret placing Tup in Torrent Company, they had been the best choice and they all adored Tup, their sweet _vod’ika_. Tup had grown so much under their care and love. 

Rex was broken from his thoughts as a bell dinged, startling Tup. Rex chuckled as he stood up, heading over to pull some cookies from the oven.

“I’ve been cooking for the Initiates,” Rex explained as he set them down to cool. “They’ve got some exams coming up and they’re a bit stressed.”

“Exams?” Tup asked curiously. “What exams do Jedi do?”

“Just to make sure they’re learning what they’re taught,” Rex said. “History, languages, navigation, stuff like that.”

“Sounds…fun,” Tup said, giving a shudder. He had always hated the tests on Kamino. So many brothers disappeared after those.

“Well, I thought I’d make them some treats,” Rex finished with a small shrug. “It’s been helping me relax and it’ll make them smile.”

Tup smiled as he walked to stand beside Rex, putting his chin on Rex’s shoulder before he murmured, “You’re a good big brother, Rex.”

Rex smiled back fondly as he turned to hug Tup tightly. 

“Want to help me deliver these?” Rex asked. “The kids will love to see you too.”

Tup gave a weak smile and a nod. “Sure.”

 

Jek sat on a rock, staring out over the trees in the gorge below him. Alderaan was a pretty planet, not one that he got to visit often. He sighed, looking down at his comm as it chimed. He gave a small smile when he saw who was contacting him.

“Hey, Jacque,” he greeted. He and Jacque had become quite close over the years as Jek owned the room in the building Jacque was doorman of. 

“ _Jek, you’ve been away longer than expected_ ,” Jacque said in lieu of greeting. 

“I’ve been busy with the new job,” Jek replied, glancing back at the cabin behind him as he heard raised voices, which made him roll his eyes. “I don’t think he quite trusts me.”

“ _Do you blame him?_ ” chuckled Jacque. 

“No,” Jek admitted as he looked back over the forest. “He’s quite protective of those he considers his sons, meaning he doesn’t quite trust me with Tup.”

“ _Speaking of your young lover_ ,” Jacque drawled. “ _He turned up last week_.”

Jek froze at that, heart stuttering and skipping a beat. Tup had gone back?

“W-What did he say?”

“ _I gave him the letter you always leave behind for him and he left_ ,” Jacque explained, “ _but then he came back to ask for a piece of flimsi and left a message for you._ ”

“What’s the message?” Jek asked, almost frantic. “What did he say?!”

“ _I haven’t opened it_ ,” Jacque told him. “ _It’s still sealed in the envelope_.”

“Open it, please, Jacque,” Jek begged. “I need to know what it said.”

There was a pause and Jek heard the sounds of paper rustling on the other end of the comm. 

“ _Okay,_ ” Jacque sighed. “ _It says: ‘Jek, yes, I want to talk. I’m being deployed and don’t know when I’ll be back, but I want to talk to you when I am. I just need to know. Tup._ ’” 

Jek stared at that comm, shocked.

Tup wanted to talk to him. He could still win Tup back, the one he loved. Hope swelled within him. He missed Tup so much, that was why he agreed to this job. He never wanted anyone to hurt Tup again.

“ _Jekhart?_ ” 

Jek blinked, bringing himself out of his thoughts.

“Sorry, Jac, was lost in thought,” Jek said. “I’ll message him from here since I won’t be home for a while.”

“ _Good pay at least?_ ”

Jek gave a small chuckle. “In a way,” he said vaguely. True, it wasn’t like the paydays like his old job, but all of his food and boarding was being taken care of, plus if it all paid out in the end, Tup would be safe for good.

It was the best payout Jek could ask for.

“Did Tup seem okay?” Jek asked Jacque instead. 

“ _He was in his armour, but yes, your lover boy looked fine…and he was as polite as always_ ,” Jacque answered, and Jek could hear the grin in Jacque’s voice. “ _I think you found a good one, Jek, don’t let him go._ ”

“I don’t plan to…well, unless he wants me too,” Jek said quietly. “I’m pretty sure his brothers would kill me if I kept bothering him.”

“ _I would too, he’s a sweet kid_.”

Jek looked towards the datapad on his lap as it chimed an alert. Jek grinned at that. He had set alerts for whenever there was a new upload for The Light Side. He always hoped that he would see Tup within them.

“I’ve got to go, Jacque, I’ll tell you when I’m coming back to Coruscant,” Jek said. 

“ _Don’t forget to contact that sweet boy, Jekhart._ ”

“I won’t, Jacque, I won’t,” Jek said. He and Jacque said their farewells before Jek picked up his datapad. Jek grinned as he started the video. 

His fingers traced the screen as a familiar figure appeared on screen.

“Tup,” he whispered.

 

Tup followed Rex down into the crèche levels, arms stacked full of plates with sweets on them.

“Ah, Rex!” a tall female Devaronian greeted as they entered. 

“Creche-Master Tilly,” Rex greeted. “My brother and I have brought some treats for the Initiates. Madam Nu let it slip that they were anxious about their exams.” 

Tilly smiled at him warmly. “You’re always a thoughtful boy!”

Rex blushed, giving a small cough. “Tilly, this is my younger brother, Tup,” Rex introduced instead. “Tup, this is Creche-Master Tilly, she takes care of Hawkbat Clan.”

“What’s the difference between Clans?” Tup asked curiously as Tilly led them further into the crèche.

“Mostly their ages,” Tilly explained. “Currently Hawkbat and Kath-Hound are two of the eldest Clans, made up of younglings that are or are about to turn eleven.”

“Are there a lot of Clans then?” Tup asked. 

“There are quite a few,” Tilly said. “There are generally two to three Clans, made up of about five kids – though that number can go up to ten maximum - , per age year. It can be less or more depending on how the Searchers go finding kids or if we take in more younglings if they’re abandoned.” 

“Hawkbat and Kath-Hound are the Clans currently going through exams,” Rex continued to explain, surprising Tup. “They’re the ones closest to the age where they’re chosen as Padawans.”

“You know a lot, Rex,” Tup said in surprise.

“He spends quite a bit of time with them or getting his ear chatted off by Madam Nu,” Tilly laughed. 

“Kids love the sweets,” Rex agreed with a smile. Tilly glanced at the plates of treats suddenly, giving Rex a look, which made him grin sheepishly. 

“These ones don’t have as much sugar as the treats I usually make before Yoda’s classes,” Rex promised. Tilly nodded.

“Better not be or you can clean up after them,” Tilly warned playfully as she pushed open a door. Tup looked inside, seeing the younglings were all sprawled about a common room area, some of them reading books, others doodling in sketchbooks or playing card games. 

“Ah, Tilly, back already?” a golden brown zabrak asked cheerfully as he walked over.

“Rex, Tup, this is Creche Master Enzo,” Tilly introduced. “Enzo, this is Rex and Tup, they’ve brought some treats for our fretting little ones.”

Enzo smiled and nodded, gesturing for them to come further into the common room.

“Younglings,” he called. “You have guests!” 

All of the Initiates looked up, spotting Rex and Tup, before all leaping to their feet and rushing over, helping take the plates over to a nearby table. 

“Don’t gorge yourself!” Tilly called as the Initiates thanked Rex and Tup for the treats, all hovering excitedly beside the plates. 

Rex winked at them. “Go ahead, I made them for you to enjoy.”

Tup watched the fond smile on Rex’s face as the Initiates all quickly took some cookies and sweets, though still be quite polite about it. Rex was drawn into conversation by Tilly and Enzo as Tup looked around, frowning as he saw one of the younglings sitting by herself, reading a book though she kept sneaking sad, furtive glances at the others as they laughed with each other.

“Hey,” Tup said, looking to Tilly and Enzo. “Is she okay?”

Tilly saw who he was looking at and gave a sad sigh. “Oh, yes, that’s Lucille,” Tilly murmured. “She’s quite shy.”

“Why don’t the others talk to her?”

“Sadly, there’s always an outlier in the group,” Enzo said regretfully. “Lucille is an introvert and a bookworm compared to the others, which makes it harder for her to fit in with them. We can only push them so much before they start resenting her, but once we get her with the Archival Corp, she’ll be so much happier with others who like the same things as her.”

Tup looked back at the lonely girl before he grabbed a plate of cookies and walked over to her, missing how Rex smiled proudly at his back. 

“Hey there,” Tup greeted as he settled on the floor beside her. “I’m Tup.” 

The young, red haired girl looked up at him, her green eyes wide. “L-Lucille,” she replied quietly, unsure.

Tup smiled warmly at her. “It’s nice to meet you, Lucille,” he told her. 

Lucille just blinked, staring at him. Tup took a moment to study her, seeing the freckles spread across her pale face, her large green eyes framed by dark red lashes staring widely at him. Tup offered the plate of cookies.

“Try one of these,” he suggested, smiling. “My older brother makes them and he is a really good cook.”

Lucille carefully took one, biting into it as Tup smiled warmly. Lucille smiled back as she swallowed her first bite.

“It is really good,” she agreed, making Tup smile broadly. Lucille finished her cookie and looked to Tup shyly. Tup just smiled warmly at her.

“I like your hair,” Tup told her, taking in the braids on the side of her head leading into a delicate bun at the top of her head. “Did you do it yourself?”

Lucille nodded shyly, hand reaching up to touch the braids at the side of her head.

“I wish I had your skill,” Tup said, almost wistfully. “Best I can do is this bun.”

“C-Can I style it, maybe?” Lucille asked hesitantly. Tup beamed and nodded his head eagerly as he reached up to undo the bun.

“That would be great!” Tup said enthusiastically. “I love it when my brothers play with my hair, so I’d be honoured to have it styled by you.” 

Lucille smiled, starting to warm up to Tup, before she got up to go grab a brush and some elastics and clips. They shifted so Lucille was sitting on a beanbag while Tup sat in front of her on a cushion.

Tup glanced at Rex as Lucille started on his hair, seeing Rex smiling proudly at him as Enzo held a recorder, smiling warmly at the pair.

“So, can I call you Lucy?” Tup asked Lucille, feeling her pause for a moment.

“Lucy?” she asked quietly.

“Yes, like a nickname,” Tup clarified. 

“Y-Yeah, that’s fine,” Lucille said. “I-I’ve never had a nickname before.”

Tup smiled somewhat sadly at her awed voice. “So, Lucy, what do you want to do when you come of age?” he asked her instead. “Is there a certain field you want to go in or do you want to be a Jedi Knight?”

“I want to be part of the Archival teams,” Lucille said, her voice becoming more confident as she opened up to Tup. “I could go out to see old Temples and find artefacts and study them all.”

Rex watched as Tup talked to the youngling, watching as she became more confident as they spoke, starting to smile and laugh.

“That’s the most I’ve seen her smile in a long time,” Tilly admitted quietly beside Rex.

“Tup is good like that,” Rex said gently. “He has a big heart and never likes to see anyone sad and alone.” 

Rex watched as Tup laughed with Lucille as Lucille braided his hair with careful precision. 

He was definitely proud of Tup and the man he had become.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a fluffy-ish Tup chapter :D
> 
> Don't know where it came from, but there it is...


	31. Facing the Senate

“How are you going, stubborn nerf?” Bant asked him as they settled down next to the waterfall. Obi-Wan smiled at sadly at her.

“I’m doing okay,” Obi-Wan admitted, leaning back on his elbows. “I’m worried about Cody, of course.”

“How is he going in your eyes?” Bant asked. Obi-Wan told her of the intimacy issue, how Cody had pushed himself too far, but how Obi-Wan stopped and they managed to continue on in a slow manner, which had turned out to be good for Cody. 

Bant stared at Obi-Wan, shocked. “Why did you even agree in the first place, Obi-Wan?”

“Because he’s scared I’m going to leave him because of what happened to him,” Obi-Wan said, frustrated. “I knew if I just went and told him no, that he would think that I didn’t want him.”

Bant gave a nod, sighing. “Okay, I get that,” Bant murmured. “It was probably best that you didn’t just turn him down then.”

Obi-Wan nodded, looking up towards the waterfall. 

“And when you took it slow, how did that go?”

“It went great,” Obi-Wan said, smiling softly. “He was so happy afterwards and felt like he was fighting back against everything that monster put him through, that that monster has made him fear.”

Bant gave another nod, rubbing at her legs thoughtfully. 

“Just take things slowly and don’t let him rush because he’s feeling like he can,” Bant warned him gently. 

“I won’t, Bant,” Obi-Wan reassured her. Bant nodded, looking back towards the waterfall.

“How’s Hevy going?” Obi-Wan asked her a few moments later.

“Better,” Bant said, smiling. “He’s come to terms that he’s been rescued and he’s been gaining weight, so we’ll release him from the Halls soon.”

“Is he going to be Temple bound too?” Obi-Wan asked curiously.

“No, I don’t think that will be the best thing for him,” Bant said thoughtfully. “You noticed it yourself that he’s touch starved and that he just wants to be with his brothers. So, in my opinion, I think he’d recover best if he was surrounded by them.”

“You don’t mean sending him back to fighting?” Obi-Wan said, shocked.

“Not fighting, but perhaps he could be useful in the medbay on the ship,” Bant told him. “He needs to be surrounded by his brothers.”

“Well, we’ll see how it goes when Echo comes back,” Obi-Wan murmured. “He said some pretty harsh things to Echo.”

“Yes, he was telling me about that,” Bant said, looking to Obi-Wan. “He was extremely regretful about that.”

“Well, Echo should be back soon with Plo and Kit,” Obi-Wan just said. 

“Back in time for the Senate hearing?” Bant asked. Obi-Wan looked to Bant, eyebrow raised.

“You know about that?”

“Master Windu asked if I would accompany him so I can speak on behalf of Rex and explain why Rex didn’t, and couldn’t, fight back,” Bant sighed. “I’m not looking forward to it.”

Obi-Wan smirked at her. “Are you going to yell at them?”

Bant just gave him a look. “If they’re idiots and they tempt me, sure.”

Obi-Wan chuckled, gently nudging at Bant’s shoulder with his own.

“Never change, Bant,” Obi-Wan told her. “I hope you make the politicians quiver in their expensive shoes.”

 

Wolffe grinned at Echo’s pout as a Healer directed him into a hover chair. 

“Stop your fussing, Pup,” Wolffe said as he nodded to the Healer, taking control of the chair. “The Jedi will have you healed in no time.”

“Yes, Master Che was quite insistent that we bring you to her care,” Plo said easily as he fell into step beside Wolffe. 

“You probably make a better patient then most Jedi,” Kit chuckled as he caught up to them. “Hope you don't mind if I join you, I was hoping to see my little Bantling.”

“Ah, Echo, what have you done to yourself?” came the concerned voice as soon as Wolffe pushed Echo into the Halls of Healing. Echo gave a weak smile as he saw Obi-Wan walking towards him, with Cody beside him. Cody was looking at him worriedly.

“Got a little too close to an explosion,” Echo answered weakly. 

“Saved a few lives doing so though,” Kit spoke up, touching Echo’s shoulder and grinning at him. “He just finished dragging some of the wounded to safety when that happened.”

“Master!” Kit turned at the cheerful call, his tentacles wriggling happily.

“My little Bantling,” Kit greeted, opening his arms. Bant smiled as she was hugged tightly. “Are you free for lunch?”

“A quick one,” Bant told him. “I’m going with Master Windu to the Senate building later.”

“Ah,” Kit hummed as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “So we won’t be long then. Take care of yourself, young Echo, we don’t want to worry Wolffe now, do we?”

Echo flushed at that and Kit grinned before he and Bant headed off to grab some lunch and to catch up. 

Vokara came out then, smiling warmly at Echo. “What have you done to yourself?”

“He got too close to an explosion,” Wolffe said. Vokara sighed, giving a nod.

“I’ve heard that one before,” she said, indicating for them to follow her. “I know you could have been treated in the medbay at the barracks, but I didn’t want to chance it with you being one that has had his chip removed,” Vokara continued. Echo looked up as they were wheeled into a room, biting back a sigh when he saw Fives and Rex in there already, sitting next to Hevy. 

“Echo!” Fives exclaimed worriedly as he stood up, watching as Wolffe helped Echo into the medical bed.

“I’m all right, Fives,” Echo reassured him. Healer Che clicked her tongue as she looked over Echo’s leg. 

“You’re going to need fair bit of bacta on this one,” she informed him. “What did you do?”

“Had a grenade explode next to me,” Echo said, giving a small shrug.

“Will he need to be put in the bacta tank?” Wolffe asked, concerned, as he reached up to rub the back of Echo’s neck. Echo immediately melted into the touch. Vokara’s lips twitched slightly as she watched them before she gave a small shake of her head.

“No, he won’t require a full bacta dip,” Vokara said. “We have this new device that one of the young Healers here designed, it’s like a glass tube that we can lock around certain limbs or parts of the body, so it’s more like an intense bacta dip without actually needing to be immersed within it.”

Vokara smiled at their confused looks. 

“It’s difficult to explain, but you’ll see it soon,” she promised before she went to retrieve the necessary equipment. 

“Are you okay, Echo?” Hevy asked, wincing as the scarred clone beside Echo stiffened at his voice.

“I’m fine,” Echo insisted, though he still didn’t meet Hevy’s gaze. 

“Stubborn _di’kut_ ,” Fives muttered, looking to Rex, who just chuckled fondly. 

“Rex, you’re not meant to make them as stubborn as you,” Cody spoke up from where he was sitting on Obi-Wan’s lap in a nearby chair. 

“Don’t you start, Cod’ika,” Rex warned playfully. They all looked up as Vokara walked back in with a team of assistant Healers. Echo watched curiously as Vokara and two Healers put this contraption made of a tough, clear plastoid that was bent and formed into a tube shape, with air tight rubber around the ends that clamped around Echo’s upper leg and ankle when Vokara adjusted it, making sure it was air tight. 

“This is pretty cool,” Echo said, impressed, as he watched one of the assistant Healers fill the tube up with bacta by the port on top of the plastoid tube. 

“It definitely is,” Vokara agreed. “He’s designed different ones, so there’s ones that fit across abdomens, chests, arms and legs, so that way if there’s no access to a bacta tank for more localised injuries, they could use this.”

“Kix will be so impressed by this,” Rex said, looking to Vokara. “So many limbs and lives could be saved with this. There have been so many times when we didn’t have access to bacta tanks or we just didn’t have enough.” Rex sighed and looked down at his hands. “So many brothers lost limbs waiting for a tank…and then they were gone.”

“Gone?” Vokara asked hesitantly, as though she dreaded the answer.

“Republic has no use for clones missing limbs,” Cody said bitterly, Obi-Wan’s arms encircling his middle at that. “They’re deemed too _expensive_ and not worth it.”

“But…but…” Vokara stammered, eyes wide.

“We tried to save as many as we could, Vokara,” Obi-Wan said quietly. “We managed to send them off to the other Temples or AgriCorp sites where they were given prosthetic limbs and somewhere to stay, safe and protected.”

Vokara stared at Obi-Wan in shock, as did some of the other clones in the room. Cody just settled back against him, leaning his head back to rest against Obi-Wan’s, as Obi-Wan gave a sad smile to the others looking shocked.

“You didn’t truly think we’d let you be killed because you were injured, did you?” he asked softly. “The Jedi Council sent out a message to all Generals, telling them to inform us when they got a clone who was injured enough to be marked as ‘decommissioned’,” Obi-Wan explained. “We got them sent to one of us, in guise of them going with our own men who had been marked and watched as that ship conveniently disappeared or was mysteriously ‘attacked’ and never made it to Kamino.”

“They’re safe?” Fives asked quietly, awed. Obi-Wan smiled and gave a nod.

“They are and they’re doing well,” Obi-Wan reassured him. “I know Ticker and Lock from the 212th are doing well in a Temple on Jedha, they’ve discovered a knack for gardening.”

Wolffe suddenly gave a sigh as his comm beeped with a message. He read it and gave a small growl, looking to Plo, who rested his hand on Wolffe’s shoulder.

“He’s in good hands now,” Plo reassured him. Wolffe nodded, leaning down to kiss Echo, who smiled against Wolffe’s lips.

“Rest up, Pup,” Wolffe murmured as he pulled away slightly, resting his forehead against Echo’s. “You call me if you get upset for any reason,” Wolffe added, speaking up for the others to hear, but directing that towards just one clone, who sunk down further in his bed. 

“I will,” Echo said quietly, smiling softly at him. “Go do whatever you’ve been summoned for and hurry back.”

Wolffe smiled and kissed him again. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Wolffe promised. “Maybe you should tell them our news while I’m gone, huh?”

Echo blushed as Wolffe straightened up, looking to Plo, who nodded, before they both left. 

“Echo,” Rex said, shocked, as he looked to the blushing ARC Trooper. “What was Wolffe talking about? What news?”

“ _Eyayah_ ,” Fives drawled, grinning at him. “Tell us the news.”

“W-Wolffe asked me to be his _riduur_ ,” Echo admitted, blushing heavily as he kept his eyes on the blanket. 

There was silence.

Echo shyly looked up, looking at the others. He was met with shocked faces before a grin broke out over Rex’s face and he bounded over, pulling Echo into a tight hug.

“Oh, Echo, that’s great news!” Rex said as he hugged Echo tightly. Echo wrapped his arms around Rex, hugging him back just as tightly. 

“This is wonderful, Echo!” Obi-Wan agreed as Cody stood up to go and hug Echo next. 

“ _Eyayah_ ,” Fives hollered gleefully, finally hugging his batchmate tightly. “I’m so happy for you!” 

Hevy remained quiet, watching as Echo was hugged repeatedly. He was in shock with that announcement. 

Their little, brainy, awkward Echo was going to take a marriage vow with a Commander?

Rex suddenly got a sly grin on his face as he looked to Obi-Wan and Cody.

“Perhaps you should have a joint ceremony with Cody, Echo,” Rex suggested slyly. Vokara paused at that, looking to Obi-Wan in surprise. 

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to decline that,” Obi-Wan said, smiling as he looked at Cody. “As much as I do adore you, Echo, I plan to have all of my focus on Cody that day.”

Cody blushed at the words, leaning against Obi-Wan.

“Obi-Wan,” Vokara gasped. “Did you finally propose?!” 

Obi-Wan chuckled, giving a nod, as Cody dug the ring out from under his shirt, lifting it up on the chain to show it off. 

“I agree with no joint ceremony,” Echo said, still grinning. “I adore you two as well, but I think Wolffe and I just want a small ceremony.”

They spoke for a bit longer before Rex, Fives, Cody and Obi-Wan were shooed from the room by Vokara, stating that her patients needed to rest. 

Echo rested his head back against the pillows, sighing out tiredly.

“Congratulations, Echo,” Hevy spoke up suddenly, surprising the nerdy ARC Trooper. “Wolffe seems like a good Commander, he’s certainly very protective of you.”

“I…uh, thank you,” Echo murmured, glancing over at Hevy, who smiled weakly at him. 

It went silent between them again and Hevy looked over to Echo, watching as Echo’s hands absently played with the hem of the blanket around his chest. Hevy gave a small smile as he watched it. Echo used to do that all the time as a cadet when he was either deep in thought or anxious or both at the same time. 

Hevy sighed once again as he looked up at Echo’s face, seeing those golden brown eyes lost in thought. 

“Hey, Echo?” Hevy spoke up.

“Mm?”

“I’m sorry, for everything,” Hevy said sincerely, meeting Echo’s gaze. “I’m sorry I was always so hard on you, that I never believed in you…I-I just…I was always so worried about you! You were just so different from us, I was always scared that the Kaminoans would take you away from us a-and I couldn’t bear losing you!” Hevy broke off, looking away and swallowing heavily, not able to meet Echo’s shocked gaze.

“I thought if I could make you be like us, that you’d be better off, that you’d be safe,” Hevy continued shakily, “but I should have accepted you for who you were. I mean, look at you, you’re a great ARC Trooper in one of the best legions. You’re well respected by the men and the Jedi alike…and you found someone who loves that big brain of yours.”

“Hevy,” Echo breathed, shocked.

“I’m so sorry, _vod’ika_ , for everything I said…and…and I hope I get the chance to make it up to you, that you’ll let me back into your life,” Hevy continued, before looking up at Echo, who gave a small smile. 

“I did miss you, Hevy, so much,” Echo told him. “A-And I do want you in my life, I just…I don’t want the teasing anymore.”

“I won’t, Echo, I promise,” Hevy swore. “No more putting you down or trying to change you. You’re your own person, Echo, and I don’t want to get in the way of that.”

Echo nodded, smiling as he settled back down against the pillows, tugging the blanket back up around.

“Just…make sure your new partner doesn’t kill me, huh?” Hevy joked weakly. “I’m pretty sure he could break me in half.”

“It’ll take a while for him to warm up to you,” Echo said truthfully. “He knows how you hurt me…but if you’re going to change, he’ll warm up to you.”

 

Windu barely kept from sighing as he waited for the transport to the Senate building. Ponds was standing nearby, talking to Bant. 

“Hey, Master Windu!” 

Windu tilted his head at the call, watching as Skywalker slid to a stop beside him, grinning.

“Only you could grin about a trip to the Senate building,” Mace drawled, smirking slightly. Anakin shuddered.

“No, not excited about that,” Anakin said, “but Padme will be meeting us there – no, there’s something else!”

“What is it, Anakin?”

“I found the right frequency!” Anakin grinned. “You know, for that project I’ve been working on.”

Windu blinked, looking at Anakin in shock. Anakin’s grin increased at that. It wasn’t often he rendered the stoic Master Windu speechless. 

“You mean you can deactivate them?” Windu asked. Anakin nodded.

“Needs a few more tests just to make sure it’ll work with certain obstacles, like bone and flesh, but yes, I’m pretty sure Echo and I managed to figure it out.”

Windu looked up as the transport pulled into the hangar. “We’ll discuss this later once we get back,” he said, watching as Anakin nodded. “Ponds, Bant, are you ready to go?”

Ponds nodded as he came over, tapping once more on his datapad. Windu glanced at him as they all got onto the transport, watching as Ponds smiled, giving a nod at his datapad.

“Aurora’s and Trigger’s recording is uploading now,” Ponds told him, smiling. Windu nodded, smiling at him. He watched as Ponds leaned against the wall of the transport, the sharp lines of his dress greys accentuating Ponds’s figure. 

They had decided against Ponds going to the Senate in his armour as a way to show the Senators that he was more than just a solider. Ponds caught his gaze and gave a smile in return. 

Windu smiled back and looked to Bant, who was looking pale.

“Healer Eerin, are you okay?” Windu asked. 

Bant startled at his voice before giving a nod. “Yes, Master Windu, I just…I’ve never spoken in front of so many people before.”

“You’ll be fine, Bant,” Anakin reassured her. “You’re a lot smarter and lot kinder than most of those Senators, so you’ll be fine.”

“Always a way with words, Anakin,” Bant laughed softly.

“He does have a point though,” Windu said. “I wouldn’t have asked you to come and face the Senate if I didn’t believe that you couldn’t handle it. I know you will speak the truth, speak of the issues that Rex, Cody and all of the clones are facing, and I know that Senators will hear the way you speak, to see how truthful and wise you are, which will hopefully help sway the votes in our favour.”

Bant nodded, breathing out. 

“Kit always speaks very highly of you and your skills as a diplomat,” Windu continued, giving a fond smile. 

“I’ll do my best,” Bant promised. “For all of the clones.”

Windu barely bit back a sigh as they pulled into the Senate building.

“Time to face the nest of Nexu’s,” he muttered, causing Ponds to snort. They all stepped off of the transport and headed up into the Senate building, where they found Padme and Bail waiting for them in the main foyer. 

“Senator Amidala,” Anakin greeted as he approached. Windu barely kept from rolling his eyes as he saw the looks the two gave each other. Windu caught Bail’s eye, who smirked and gave a small roll of his eyes in Padme’s and Anakin’s direction.

“They’re not very subtle, are they?” Windu heard Bant mutter to Ponds, who snorted with laughter. 

“Commander Ponds, it’s good to see you,” Bail greeted, extending a hand, which Ponds took. 

“Thank you, Senator Organa,” Ponds returned with a smile. Bail turned to Bant, giving a smile.

“I don’t believe we’ve met,” Bail said. Bant blinked, looking up at the very tall, broad shouldered Senator and smiled.

“No, we haven’t, Senator Organa,” Bant said. “I’m Bant Eerin, I’m one of the Healers at the Temple.”

“And a fantastic Jedi Knight too,” Windu added, watching as Bant’s skin mottled in a flush. 

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Bant,” Bail returned, “and, please, call me Bail.” 

Bant smiled and inclined her head. 

“Shall we get going?” Padme asked, looking to Anakin. “You will be in the Naboo pod with myself.”

“I’ll be in my respective pod, but I will be there to support you if you need it,” Bail added. 

Windu inclined his head in thanks before they headed off to get prepared. They soon arrived at the right pod, with Bail giving them a smile before he headed off to Alderaan’s pod, and sat down, waiting for the others to be filled.

“Are you ready, Master Windu?” Padme asked quietly. “I know you would have preferred more time before you put this motion to the Senate…”

“It is what it is,” Windu just said, sighing. “We just have to go along with what path we are given.”

They all looked up as a deep gong sounded throughout the Senate chamber. 

“Well, it’s time,” Anakin murmured as he watched Palpatine stand up in the centre of the large chamber, elevated in the air by his own platform. They listened as he opened up the session.

“Now,” Palpatine said, once he had finished. “We have an accusation from Senator Danart against clone CT-7567 of assault. Master Windu, I believe you are speaking for him.”

Windu stood and guided the pod out into the chamber, floating near the Chancellor’s podium.

“I believe I told you to bring CT-7567 so he could be questioned regarding the assault,” Palpatine said coolly as he saw Rex wasn’t there. 

“ **Rex** is still recovering from a horrific ordeal and did not need to be interrogated,” Windu replied, just as coolly, making sure he emphasised Rex’s name. They weren’t numbers.

“Yes, but he did assault Senator Danart,” Palpatine said. “Danart has reported that Rex was the one who broke his arm and several ribs.”

“Rex was not the one responsible for that,” Windu said simply. “I was the one responsible for that.”

Mutters began up throughout the chamber as Windu stared calmly at Palpatine.

“You, Master Windu?”

“Yes,” Windu replied easily. “He was hurting Rex and I had to get him away from him, so I grabbed him and threw him off of Rex.”

“You’re lying!” Windu’s brown eyes flickered to the side where Senator Danart’s pod had floated up.

“No, I’m not,” Windu said. “I have the security footage to prove it.”

“Security footage?” Palpatine questioned, though he looked to Danart, eyes narrowed as Danart paled.

“Of course,” Windu replied. “The Jedi Temples halls do have extensive security due to incidents in the past. I can play this footage for you now so you may all see what truly happened…and so that I may call for Senator Danart to be sacked from his position and arrested for assault.”

Palpatine’s jaw tense and he gave a curt nod. “Play the footage, Master Windu.”

Windu grabbed the datastick from inside his robes and plugged into the system of the pod. He lifted his head to watch as the holo-recording appeared, complete with sound, and watched as it played out, showing how Danart had threatened Rex and had grabbed him.

When it finished, Windu straightened up.

“Not only does this footage show Danart assaulting Rex, who as you all know is recovering from a horrific ordeal, it also shows that Danart knew which Separatist had kidnapped a Republic Trooper – a highly respected Captain no less – and did not speak up,” Windu spoke out, looking around the chamber.

“Y-You doctored this!” Danart cried out desperately. 

“No, he didn’t,” Windu looked around again to see Riyo Chuchi in her pod now. “Myself and Senators Fredericks and Yuriarto were all witness to you assaulting Rex.”

“Senators, I restate my call to have Senator Danart stripped of his title and diplomatic immunity so he can face justice for assault,” Windu said once more.

“Why didn’t he fight back?!” Danart snapped out, growing desperate. 

“Because you knew he couldn’t,” Windu stepped to the side at that snapped voice. 

“Senators, may I present Jedi Knight and Healer Bant Eerin, who has been the Mind Healer responsible for Rex and Cody's recovery,” Windu introduced, stepping aside to let Bant speak. 

“The clones have been trained since birth that they were to obey all Senator and Jedi commands without question,” Bant explained. “It was something we were unaware of until recently, that no matter the order, no matter how horrible it was, that the clones would be forced to obey. That was why Rex didn’t fight back…because he _couldn’t_. His body froze as his mind screamed at him to run, years of ruthless training taking effect.”

“Why couldn’t he just disobey?” a Senator asked.

“Think of it as a form of brain-washing,” Bant said. “This is a command that had been implanted in their mindsets since they were just children. For the older ones, like Rex, who went through this training - this brain-washing - the longest, it is harder for them to break through it, to disobey even the worst orders, ones that could get them or others hurt. This is something that needs to be changed, alongside other things.”

Bant looked to Windu, who nodded and stepped up again. Ponds stepped up this time, standing just behind Windu, a reassuring and comforting presence beside him, giving him strength.

“Senators,” he spoke up once again. “With the kidnappings and eventual rescues of Rex and Cody, we have discovered many things that are not right within the GAR and with the way the clones are treated. We have discovered instances of abuse by the GAR Admirals to the clones, unneeded and unnecessary reconditioning and decommissioning, the safety and mental wellbeing of the clones being overlooked by the GAR despite reassurances to the Jedi that this was not the case.”

“What are you saying, Master Windu?” Palpatine asked, voice going cold.

“I am putting forth the motion that the clones care be placed directly in the hands of the Jedi,” Windu announced. “The Jedi will be the ones who look after the clones’ mental and physical wellbeing, the ones who will look over the decision for a clone to be reconditioned or decommissioned, among other things. There is also a secondary motion that the Jedi will be stepping back from Senate control,” he paused at the sudden rise of voices. “This does not mean that we will not help the Republic,” he spoke up over the voices. “This just means that we can help planets and in situations where we have previously been denied by senior members of the Senate,” here Windu let his eyes flicker to Palpatine.

“I know that there are so many of you here, whose planets have needed our help, who have asked for our help through the Senate and have been denied and pushed aside…well, the Jedi will no longer stand for that. We will go where we deem we need to, as we are requested to by the planet’s leaders, not at the whims of the others for secondary reasons.”

“Is that all?” Palpatine asked through gritted teeth.

“No, I have one more,” Windu said calmly. “I am asking for an immediate vote to temporarily put the clones’ care under Jedi command until the motion is passed. I know that with the motion I just put forth that many GAR officials will be furious and will be looking to take it out on the clones, especially due to the recording that was just released as well. This will ensure that no clones are wrongly reconditioned or decommissioned in spite.”

A cheer went up around the Senate and Windu released the breath he didn’t realise he was holding. 

“Very well,” Palpatine said. “A vote will be taken momentarily. As for Senator Danart, with the overwhelming evidence provided, he will be stripped of his diplomatic immunity and arrested immediately.”

“He doesn’t seem very happy about it,” Padme murmured to Anakin, who frowned as he looked to Palpatine, seeing he did indeed looked rather peeved.

“I will ask you to cast for your votes for Master Windu’s immediate motion,” Palpatine spoke up. “This will decide whether or not the Jedi are granted temporary care of the clones.”

Padme looked down as her screen blipped and voted for her option. 

Moments later, Palpatine looked to Mas Amedda, who passed him a screen. 

“The motion is passed,” Palpatine said, voice even. “Until the main hearing and until the real motion is passed, the Jedi have temporary care of the clones.”

“Thank you, Chancellor Palpatine, Senators,” Windu said as he stepped up to the front of the pod once again, inclining his head. “I have submitted the documents regarding the other motions of the clones care and of the Jedi involvement in the Senate.”

Windu moved the pod back to its original position before he sat down, slumping in relief. A hand rested on his shoulder and squeezed, making him look up. Ponds was grinning at him.

“You did it, Mace,” Ponds murmured. “My brother are safe from reconditioning and decommissioning.”

“For now,” Windu sighed, relaxing further as Ponds gently squeezed his shoulder again.

“They’ll pass the permanent motion, Mace, I know it,” Ponds reassured him. 

Windu looked back out over the Senate Chamber, which was back to arguing over the war and money, his eyes resting on Palpatine, who was looking disgruntled. 

Yes, this was certainly a victory, Windu knew, but he also knew the real battle was just beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken a little while, but work has been really stressful...and it's at the point where I'm going to resign, so I've been a little distracted.


	32. Commonality

Windu sighed in relief as he finally stepped out of the Senate Chambers, stopping and looking around the hallway as the others came to join him.

“Master Windu, congratulations,” Bail smiled as he approached. “This is an excellent result!” 

“Thank you, Senator Organa,” Windu said, inclining his head. “Though I fear the battle is just beginning.”

“We’ll get through it, Mace,” Ponds reassured him. “We always do.”

“Ponds is right,” Anakin said quietly as he looked around. “We’ll finish this war one way or another and we’ll protect the clones, no matter what.” 

“Ah, Anakin!” 

Windu felt Ponds tense beside him and looked around, seeing the Chancellor striding towards their group. 

“Chancellor Palpatine,” Anakin greeted evenly, giving a slight bow. Ponds shifted so he was standing behind Windu, who shifted slightly as though to protect Ponds from the Chancellor’s cool gaze. 

“I was wondering if I could speak to you?” Palpatine asked calmly, turning his attention back to Anakin and smiling warmly. “It’s been so long since we last spoke.”

“My apologies, Chancellor, it’s been rather hectic lately,” Anakin said. 

“Well, we can speak now then,” Palpatine smiled at him. 

“O-Of course,” Anakin answered, knowing he couldn’t rebuff the Chancellor here or it would be too suspicious.

“I’ll wait for you, Anakin,” Windu spoke up, gaining a glance of relief from Anakin and a cold look from Palpatine.

“Oh, that isn’t necessary,” Palpatine tried to say.

“It is,” Windu replied. “I promised to teach Knight Skywalker vaapad and I don’t get that much spare time to teach with this war.”

Anakin’s eyes widened in surprise but he nodded, looking back to Chancellor. “I’m really excited to learn this technique,” Anakin said. 

Palpatine gave a thin smile, saying, “Well, I won’t keep you long, but I do wish to speak to you.” 

Anakin nodded, following Palpatine across the hall to a private alcove. He glanced to the right, seeing Windu turning to murmur something to Ponds, who nodded, relaxing slightly. 

“I don’t like this,” Padme murmured to Windu, glancing at Palpatine and Anakin. 

“I’ll keep an eye on them,” Windu promised her. Padme sighed, looking to Bail, who offered a small smile before he turned his attention to Bant.

“You’re Cody and Rex’s Mind Healer?” he asked her, startling the Mon Calamari. Bant gave a small nod, unsure.

“Yes, I am.”

“Could we talk to you in private then?” Bail asked her curiously. “I believe getting your opinions on the clones’ mental and emotional wellbeing for the motion will work wonders.”

Bant nodded. “Of course.”

“Padme?” Bail asked, turning to her. Padme sighed, nodding and glancing at her husband once more – who looked like he was getting irritated – before turning back to Bail and Bant and giving a weak smile.

“Yes, let’s work on the points and evidence,” she agreed before looking to Windu and Ponds. “Watch after him.”

“Of course,” Windu promised, giving a reassuring nod to Bant, before watching as the trio walked off, heading towards Bail’s office. 

“She really cares for him,” Ponds murmured in Windu’s ear.

“Hmm?”

“Padme,” Ponds said quietly. “She really loves Anakin and cares for him. You can see how worried she is for him.”

“I believe that is what partners do, Ponds,” Windu replied softly, looking at him and giving a small smile. Ponds smirked at that.

“Force knows how much I worry about you,” Ponds joked, gently jostling Windu with an elbow and gaining a snort in return. Windu felt a spike of irritation from Anakin and looked around, frowning worriedly.

“How have you been, my boy?” Palpatine asked as they stepped into the alcove. He was pleased that he had finally managed to wrangle Skywalker to talk to him, though he was displeased that Windu was still so close, watching over them. 

“We’ve been busy,” Anakin replied calmly. “The war demands our attention and keeps us occupied.”

“Of course, of course,” Palpatine said. “Though you don’t come to see me when you’re on Coruscant anymore. Have I done something to offend you, Anakin?”

“Of course not, your Excellence,” lied Anakin. “It’s just with Ahsoka’s training, the teaching classes I’ve volunteered for and being there for Rex and Cody’s recovery, I’m pressed for free time.”

“Ah, yes, the abducted clones,” Palpatine hummed, making Anakin stiffen. “How is their recovery going?”

“I’m not sure I should speak about it,” Anakin said slowly. “I mean, Danart pushed Rex’s recovery back with that attack though. They suffered so much during their time as slaves, it’s going to take a while to recover from.”

“Of course,” Palpatine said, almost flippantly, though he saw a flash of irritation through Skywalker’s eyes at his tone. Palpatine looked at Windu, seeing he and the clone were conversing in low tones together.

“This motion for the clones that Master Windu put forth is admirable,” Palpatine said slowly. “Though I am surprised.”

“Surprised, your Excellency?” 

“Yes, the Jedi have always kept to themselves and to see them fighting for the clones, who are in perfectly good hands in the GAR, is rather different.”

“The clones are basically slaves to the GAR,” Anakin said darkly. “They get abused and reconditioned if they don’t agree.”

Palpatine let that slide, instead trying to dig in deeper and unbalance Anakin’s trust within the Jedi.

“Yes, but I question why now,” he said. “They haven’t tried to do this before, to free slaves…I mean, they didn’t even attempt to save your mother and you are a Jedi!”

Anakin stiffened at that, eyes darkening as he looked to Palpatine.

“Neither did you,” Anakin growled lowly, surprising Palpatine. “You had the money, the _power_ , to free my mother – you _knew_ how much she meant to me, you comforted me when I missed her…yet you did _nothing_ either.”

Palpatine stared at the fuming Anakin, surprised at the turn that had taken.

“Anakin, are you okay?” Windu’s voice suddenly came from beside them, sounding concerned.

“Yeah,” Anakin said shortly. “I’m done here, let’s go back to the Temple.”

Windu blinked surprised, exchanging a look with Ponds before he nodded. “Of course.”

Windu watched Anakin in concern as they stood on the transport, brows furrowed. 

“Is he okay?” Ponds asked Windu quietly. Windu gave a small shake of his head.

“He’s fuming about something,” he admitted. “I’ll talk to him when we get back to the Temple.”

Ponds nodded. “I’ll leave you two to it and I’ll go find Cody and Rex.”

Windu nodded thankfully, leaning slightly on Ponds, gaining strength from his warmth and solid bulk. Ponds wrapped his arm around his shoulders, holding him close. Windu sighed and closed his eyes, hoping to meditate for just a little while so he could centre himself before his chat with Skywalker. 

Anakin looked over, seeing Windu leaning against Ponds’s side, with Ponds’s arm around his shoulder, holding him close. Windu’s eyes were closed and he was calm, relaxed. Anakin met Ponds’s dark gold eyes and gave a small smile. Ponds returned it, looking to Windu with fondness in his eyes. 

Anakin leaned against the wall of the transport, breathing out and trying to calm his simmering fury. 

He had never seen Master Windu looking so peaceful and at ease before, but he seemed so calm resting against Ponds’s side. 

Palpatine didn’t know what he was talking about, Anakin thought bitterly. The clones have changed the Jedi, definitely for the better.

But he couldn’t help still feeling a twinge of bitterness towards everyone since Palpatine had brought up his mother. He missed her. So much.

They arrived at the Temple and Windu opened his eyes as they landed. Ponds looked to Windu as they stepped off the transport.

“I’ll leave you to it,” Ponds murmured, gently nudging Windu’s shoulder with his own. “Good luck.”

Windu gave Ponds an unamused look, which Ponds responded to with a grin, before Ponds hurried off to find Cody and Rex.

“Anakin, let’s talk,” Windu said heavily, turning to Skywalker, who gave a curt nod. They walked away, Windu leading them to an empty classroom. 

He went and perched on a desk, looking at Anakin.

“What did the Chancellor say to you to upset you so?” Windu asked directly, not bothering to skirt around the subject. Anakin paced back and forth agitatedly.

“He asked why the Jedi cared now,” he spat. “He asked why you didn’t care enough to save my mother.”

Windu flinched slightly at that.

“I demanded why he didn’t care enough to save her either and that was when you stepped in,” Anakin continued. Windu sighed, looking at Anakin.

“Your mother was killed, wasn’t she?” he asked quietly. “That’s why you were on Tatooine with Senator Amidala instead of Naboo.”

Anakin gave a jerky nod. “I had dreams that she was in pain and was crying out for me, that she needed my help, so I went to save her. I was too late.”

“I am sorry, Anakin,” Windu told him sincerely.

Anakin’s hands clenched into fists briefly before he released them, looking to Windu.

“Why didn’t you free her?” he asked, voice breaking slightly. Windu blinked, looking at him before sighing once again.

“I do admit, we were slow to react when you were first brought to us,” Windu said slowly. “Qui-Gon never told us you had been a slave, I mean, that would have explained where that fear and anger inside you came from. It wasn’t until Obi-Wan came before us, shaken, to tell us once he had come across you trying to cut your slave chip out, that we really knew the circumstances you came from. Again, we were slow to react on that.”

Anakin just stared, watching Windu.

“It was only once Obi-Wan came before us again, telling us you were considering leaving, being the angsty teenager you were,” Windu gave him a teasing smirk here. “It was only then we knew we had to do something, especially if you did choose to leave. Yes, Obi-Wan would have gone with you because he was so attached to you, but we also knew you needed someone familiar on the outside and we couldn’t send you back to Tatooine to live with your mother knowing she was a slave – so we sent a Jedi undercover to go and see if that situation could be changed.”

“W-What?” Anakin whispered, not believing what he was hearing.

“We sent one of our young Shadows, Siri Tachi, to Tatooine to investigate,” Windu continued. “The plan was she would buy your mother’s freedom and we’d find somewhere for your mother to settle…but when she was there, she discovered something else. She discovered that there was a man who came to see your mother basically every day and she could see that your mother returned the affection, so she altered the plan. Siri watched this moisture farmer, watched how he interacted with his son, with others, and once she was satisfied he was a good man, she approached him. Siri offered a deal, offered to help him buy your mother’s freedom as long as he promised to take care of her, which he quickly agreed to, saying he loved her.”

“Cliegg,” Anakin murmured. “He did love her, he married her.”

Windu gave a small smile and nodded.

“Siri gave Cliegg the funds and he freed your mother and brought her back to his home, where Siri was waiting,” Windu continued. “Siri told your mother who she was and why she was there. Your mother and Cliegg told Siri they would take you and Obi-Wan in if you decided to leave the Jedi.”

Windu paused for a moment, considering as he looked to Anakin.

“Siri offered to take a recording from your mother back to you, but your mother refused, not wanting to cause you more pain and cause you to miss her more – but she asked Siri to tell her everything about you and what had happened since you had left Tatooine.” 

“S-She didn’t want to send me a message?” Anakin asked, voice breaking.

“She cared for you, Anakin,” Windu told him firmly. “She didn’t want you to miss her. She wanted you to carve a life for yourself.”

Anakin slumped back against the wall, running a hand over his eyes. 

“W-Why didn’t you tell me she was freed?” he whispered finally.

“This is where we made a mistake with you, Anakin,” Windu sighed, leaning back on his hands. “You weren’t brought in like the rest of us when we were young. You came in later, having had a loving mother and with strong memories of her. We should have allowed you to keep in contact with her, but we were so set on our ways, we didn’t consider how much it was hurting you.”

Anakin looked up, staring at Windu in disbelief.

“Living and fighting beside the clones, growing close to them, has allowed us to see the benefits of attachment and has shown us how stagnate and set in our ways that we had become, and how much that was hurting us,” Windu said, shaking his head. “Our numbers are dwindling and the Galaxy saw us as aloof and uptight. It wasn’t until we had the clones, saw that they were just numbers and did their best to quash their personalities, did we realise that we needed to be something more. We needed to reassure them and encourage them, much like we do our younglings. We soon became part of their family, we became loved…and it changed us for the better. It was a change long overdue.”

Anakin just leaned back, in shock of what Windu had just admitted to him.

“I won’t ask for your forgiveness, Anakin, it's not something we deserve,” Windu said quietly. “I know now we made mistakes when it came to you, we should have done more for you and for Obi-Wan, but we didn’t.”

“I…It will take a while for me to get over this,” Anakin admitted. “I was always so hurt and so sore that the Jedi viewed my attachment to my mother as something bad and wrong…but I am grateful that you did free her from slavery,” Anakin continued. “She was happy when she died; she had a loving husband and son and daughter-in-law…though I was so, so angry that those monsters killed her without mercy.”

Windu looked up at that, dark eyes considering Anakin and those anger fuelled words.

“You killed them,” he just said simply. “The ones who killed your mother.”

Anakin flinched, looking at Windu with wide eyes. Windu just stared at him, waiting.

“Yes,” Anakin whispered finally. “I-I was just so angry. She was a kind, sweet woman, and they killed her…so…so I killed them all. I-I don’t regret all of it, I-I mean, I regret killing the women and children…but not the men, not the ones who hurt her.”

Anakin looked away, waiting to hear Windu explode, to tell him how wrong he was and how what he did was something someone who touched the Dark did.

He wasn’t expecting the answer.

“I get it, Anakin, I do,” Windu told him sincerely, causing Anakin to look at him in shock. Windu gave a wry smile at the expression.

“You know that vaapad is frowned upon by some Masters because it depends on me balancing between the Dark and the Light, drawing on both if necessary, but not falling,” Windu explained. “I understand the pull to the Dark…I understand getting revenge.”

“You, Master?” Anakin asked in disbelief.

Windu gave a small nod. “Before you came to us, when Depa was still a teenager, a Padawan, she was kidnapped by a group while we were trying to negotiate a treaty,” he said. “They were a group of members from a crime syndicate, trying to make sure the treaty wasn’t signed as it would harm their enterprise, so they believed by kidnapping Depa and threatening her, that it would stop it.”

Anakin listened, entranced by the tale. 

“I finally managed to find their hide-out and subdued them,” Windu continued. “The state I found Depa in…what they did to her…all I saw was red. I could have taken them into the local police, who had been searching for them, they had been subdued after all…but all I could see was her pain and those animals did to her. I knew they would hurt others if they were released, like they hurt my Depa, so I ensured they wouldn’t do that again.”

Windu looked up, meeting Anakin’s shocked gaze. “I killed them for hurting my Depa, an innocent child. So, yes, I get how easy it is for your vision to go red, to kill those who harm innocents for no reason.”

“I-I didn’t expect that,” Anakin admitted. “I thought you would have dragged me before the Council.”

“I get it, Anakin,” Windu reaffirmed. “I can also see that you haven’t fallen to the Dark. It is so easy to stray, to let our anger lead us, however it is important that we don’t let it define our actions.”

“Sometimes it isn’t that easy, especially with the war,” Anakin said, gaining an understanding nod from Windu.

“Yes, but it is our actions after that define us,” Windu said once again. “Yes, we may give into anger to save our men but if you chose to follow that anger, to give into it for the power you believe it gives you, then you are lost. If you pull out of that anger, if you know that following your anger is wrong and that the Dark is wrong, then you are fine.”

“Not a lot of Jedi think like that,” Anakin countered. “They believe once we give into our anger, we’re lost.”

“Closed minded,” Windu snorted. “They’ll be the ones who believe that Jedi need to be serene and emotionless at all times. That’s not what Jedi are. Yes, we feel emotions but we’re trained to note them and release them if we know that it’ll distract us, like fear and anger.” 

“The Chancellor made me so angry today,” Anakin said. “With his comment about Mum and the way he treats the clones. He asked about Rex and Cody, but I could tell he didn’t give a damn about them.”

Windu nodded. “We’ll deal with him.” Windu looked at Anakin thoughtfully. “Anakin, did you want to learn vaapad?”

Anakin startled. “Seriously?”

“Yes,” Windu smiled slightly at Anakin’s shocked face. “This form requires a lot of discipline, especially when it comes to balancing between the Light and the Dark.”

“I-I would be honoured to learn it,” Anakin said, still shocked. He knew that Windu hadn’t taught anyone except Depa to use vaapad, but even then Depa rarely used it. Windu nodded as he stood up. 

“Well, let’s get started then.”

 

Rex hummed along to the music playing on the radio as he moved around the kitchen. He had found some new recipes he wanted to try out. Rex smiled to himself as he realised that he spent a lot of time cooking and baking now, but he quite liked it. There was just something so calming about it. 

“Oooh, that smells good,” Fives’s voice said suddenly. Rex glanced up, seeing Fives had just walked into their apartment. He smiled warmly at him.

“Thanks,” Rex said. “How’s Echo going?”

“Healer Che released him from the Halls,” Fives said as he leaned against the bench. “Wolffe took him back to Ponds’s apartment…not that Ponds stays there anymore."

Rex raised an eyebrow at that as he looked at Fives.

“Who told you that?” Rex asked, grinning.

“So it’s true?” Fives gasped theatrically. 

“In a way,” Rex said carefully as he grabbed his mixing bowl. “Ponds and Windu aren’t like you and I or Cody and Obi-Wan. They don’t do the whole intimacy thing; they’re more like soul mates and companions.”

“Ah,” Fives murmured. 

“Ponds is happy,” Rex continued as he stirred the contents. “Happier than I’ve seen him for a while, more relaxed too.”

“So, what are you making?” Fives asked. 

“Some new slice and cookie recipes I found,” Rex said, smiling at the mixing bowl. “I thought Echo might like these ones.”

“Why? Are they book flavoured?”

“Ha ha, you’re so funny,” Rex replied, deadpanned. “No, Echo likes sweet apples, which you know we rarely get, but some of the Jedi chefs gave me some when I went to ask about different fruits.” 

Fives nodded, watching as Rex shifted to put the next batch in the oven, humming along with the music. Fives smiled as he watched Rex move around the kitchen, almost like a dance. 

It made him happy to see Rex so at ease, to see him so calm. 

Fives moved as Rex stepped back, wiping his hands on a tea towel. Rex looked up as Fives reached over, turning the radio up, before he turned to Rex and offered his hand, grinning slyly.

“Care to dance, _cyar’ika_?” Fives asked. Rex smiled softly at him as he took Fives’s hand. Fives gently shifted Rex’s arms to get them in place, placing on his shoulder while he took the other one. Fives placed his own free hand on Rex’s waist before they swayed together. 

Rex laughed as Fives grinned and twirled him around before pulling him close again. Rex looped his arms around the back of Fives’s neck, hands drifting up to play with the short hairs at the base of Fives’s neck. Fives shifted his hands to gently rest of Rex’s hips. Fives shifted to press his forehead against Rex’s, gently rubbing his nose against Rex’s. 

“I love you, Rex’ika,” Fives murmured. “I love watching you as you cook, you’re so happy and at peace.”

“I love you too, my stubborn _cyar’ika_ ,” Rex murmured softly. They swayed together to the music, both of their eyes fixed upon one another’s. Rex shifted first, shifting his head so he could press a soft, sweet kiss against Fives’s lips. 

Rex rested his head back against Fives’s. “I’m happy I have you,” he said quietly. “I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have you.”

“Oh, love,” Fives murmured, gently rubbing his thumbs in circles against Rex’s hips. “I will always be here for you, no matter what.” 

Rex sighed and pulled back slightly as the chrono on the oven beeped. Fives chuckled and let Rex go.

He watched as Rex headed back into the kitchen to grab the slices and cookies from the oven before they burnt and smiled back at Rex as Rex sent a small smile in his direction.

Fives knew that he would probably be deployed again soon, but now, here, watching Rex moving about the kitchen, seeming so at peace…well, there was no place he’d rather be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry it's been a little bit...but I decided to resign from my job and had a trial at a new one which didn't work out, so I've been quite run-down...
> 
> But thought you'd like a nice Fives/Rex moment too :)


	33. A Solution

Obi-Wan walked into the Archives, pausing as he spotted Windu sitting at one of the tables, surrounded by datapads and frowning deeply. Obi-Wan sat down beside him, leaning back.

“Everything okay, Mace?” Obi-Wan asked. “I heard your speech went wonderfully at the Senate and that the Jedi have guardianship of the clones.”

“Temporarily,” Windu said absently. “I have to present the evidence for the motion for permanent guardianship and the Jedi stepping back from the Senate in a week’s time.”

“Ah,” Obi-Wan murmured. “What are you looking at now?”

Windu sighed as he leaned back in his chair, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. 

“Well, the evidence is mostly focusing on the clones,” Windu explained. “So, I’ve been gathering instances of abuse, paperwork of clones being decommissioned because they were injured in battle.”

Obi-Wan nodded curiously. “Have you thought of presenting images of how the clones we saved from decommissioning are going?” 

“Perhaps,” Windu said quietly. “Though I would still refuse to give away their locations in case this goes badly.”

“Of course.”

“I’m horrified by this, Obi-Wan,” Windu admitted. “I’ve seen so much proof of abuse, so much that we didn’t see, and then there were the ones that we managed to stop too…but there’s just so much.”

“What do you mean?” Obi-Wan asked worriedly. “What have you seen?”

“Well, there was that Admiral and Tup,” Windu listed, “but I’ve found footage of physical abuse, managed to find reports from the medics listing the injuries as well…and…” Windu trailed off for a moment, looking up at Obi-Wan, “and I remembered Ponds telling me about Cody’s first Admiral, so I chased that up. I found some footage archived in the systems, of how the Admiral used to beat him.”

Obi-Wan stiffened, grey eyes meeting Windu’s sympathetic brown ones.

“I haven’t added that in yet,” Windu said quietly. “I’m asking all clones who I’ve found footage of for their permission to show it. Tup has given his as has a few others, but I wanted to ask Cody.”

“Just…just be gentle with him and maybe ask Bant if it’s the best idea,” Obi-Wan said carefully. “He developed quite bad anxiety and self-esteem from that Admiral’s abuse, plus with everything that Tram did to him...well…” 

Windu nodded in understanding. “I’ll ask Bant’s opinion before I ask him.”

Obi-Wan nodded, looking over the mountain of datapads. “So, need a hand? Or do you need caf?”

Windu looked up at that question, giving him a look before grinning weakly. 

“I’m dying for caf, but you know Jocasta would kill us both if it was brought into the Archives,” Windu pointed out, making Obi-Wan grin.

“You, a Master Jedi who has been Head of the Order, scared of Jocasta?”

“You know she’s terrifying,” Windu retorted, making Obi-Wan snicker. “But yes, another set of eyes on this would be good. Just don’t touch this pile,” Windu warned him. Obi-Wan looked at him, eyebrow raised and Windu gave him a sympathetic look.

“You don’t want to see what’s on those ones and I’ve already logged the data,” Windu explained. Obi-Wan gave a slight shudder and nodded, reaching for a datapad, but making sure to keep far away from that pile.

 

Bant looked at her comm, as it rang. She glanced at the chrono, seeing she still had time before her next appointment before she answered it. 

“Eerin.”

“ _Hello, Bant, it’s Bail Organa_ ,” came the calm reply. “ _I was wondering if you were free, I wanted to pick your brain further for the medical side of the clones’ mental and emotional wellbeing._ ”

“I would love to help, but I have an afternoon filled with appointments,” Bant responded. “However I am free this evening if that works for you.”

“ _That works perfectly,_ ” Bail replied. “ _I do not want to get in the way of your appointments. Shall I order dinner in for us?_ ”

Bant blinked, surprised. “Yes, that will make things easier.”

“ _Perfect_ ,” Bail said cheerfully. “ _Oh, and just so you know, my wife will be joining us. She is on Coruscant for this weekend._ ”

“Oh, I don’t want to interrupt your time together,” Bant tried to say.

“ _You won’t be_ ,” Bail reassured her. “ _Breha wants to help as well and with her political insight as Queen of Alderaan, she’s a great mind_.”

“Then I’ll be happy to assist in any way I can,” Bant told him, glancing towards the chrono once more. “My apologies, Bail, but my first patient is about to arrive.”

“ _Of course, don’t let me hold you up. I will see you this evening, just let me know when you’re on the way so I can organize dinner,_ ” Bail told her. “ _Have a good day, Bant_.”

“You too, Bail.”

Bant tucked her comm away just as the door opened and Rex walked in, smiling at her. 

“Good afternoon, Rex,” Bant greeted gently. “Come and sit.”

Rex settled down on his pile of cushions, wriggling slightly so he could get comfortable, before looking to Bant. Bant smiled at him.

“How have you been, Rex?” she asked gently. “How are you recovering?”

“Getting better,” Rex answered truthfully. “That thing with the Senator shook me for a little while, but I had you and Cody and Windu to help me out, and then Fives came home and I felt a lot more secure when he was there.”

Bant nodded. “And how have you felt about having Hevy back?”

“It’s taken a little while to get used to,” Rex admitted, “but it’s just a relief too. I mean, he and Echo are finally making up, which is really good. Hevy still has to get on Wolffe’s good side since Wolffe is rather protective of Echo too.”

“Why is he protective?”

“Echo and Wolffe formed a relationship when Cody and I were…gone,” Rex explained. “Wolffe just asked Echo to his _riduur_ , his spouse, so now I guess they’re engaged?” 

“How do you feel about that?” Bant asked curiously. Rex smiled warmly at her.

“I’m happy for them, so happy,” Rex told her truthfully. “I’ve never seen Wolffe love someone so deeply and I’ve never seen Echo so calm and relaxed within himself now that he has Wolffe.”

“How are you and Fives going?” Bant asked. 

“We’re going good,” Rex answered with a fond smile on his face. “We’re taking things slow, but we’re happy together.”

“That’s good, Rex,” Bant praised him. Rex smiled as he fiddled with a tassel on one of the cushions.

“Rex,” Bant started carefully. “Is there anything you want to talk about today? Anything that happened when you were a captive?”

Rex frowned for a moment, in thought, before he swallowed deeply and pulled a pillow into his lap, fingers teasing at the tassels.

“I’m grateful that I’ve got Cody,” Rex said quietly. “While I have Fives…there are things that he’ll never understand, but I know Cody will because he was there with me.”

Bant just listened to him, letting him take his time.

“W-When I was Tris’s slave…” Rex broke off, swallowing harshly. “When we were on Osiris, we had to follow rules, if we didn’t then we were punished,” Rex explained. “When Cody did something to anger Tram, I was usually hurt for it, and I had to watch as Cody retreated into himself, as he allowed Tram to hurt him so I wasn’t hurt.”

“What if you did something they thought was wrong?”

“I was still punished for it,” Rex said quietly. “Tris figured out pretty quickly what to threaten me with.”

“And what was that?”

“To take me away from Cody,” Rex admitted, voice breaking. “I could take being whipped and being back-handed, but the mere _thought_ of being separated from Cody…when he needed me…when I needed him…I-I just couldn’t bear it. Tris used to threaten to sell me, and when I retorted and said that Cody and I would be rescued, he would threaten to blind me, so even if that happened, I would still never see Cody, or anything, again.” 

“That must have been terrifying,” Bant said softly. Rex nodded, giving a slight sniffle as he scrubbed at his eyes. 

“Cody was all I had there,” Rex whispered. “He was the only safe place, the only comfort I had…if I lost him, i-if I had been sold…I-I don’t know what I would have done. I don’t know if I could have survived without him… _kriff_ , I don’t know if he could have survived without me.”

Bant waited for a moment, watching as Rex shivered as he scrubbed at his eyes again.

“Did they ever separate you?” she asked gently.

Rex nodded. “Once,” he replied. “For two weeks. It was after we gave the message to Boba so Tup would be safe. They were furious a-and separated us for two weeks. It was the worst time.”

“Why was it the worst?” Bant asked, though she hated having to ask it.

“Because I couldn’t see him!” Rex barely bit back a sob. “Every time Tris hurt me, I couldn’t go to Cody afterwards for comfort. I-I just had to stay with my abuser as he just…used me over and over again.”

“Rex…”

“A-and I didn’t know how he was either,” Rex hiccupped. “I couldn’t hear him, couldn’t see him…I didn’t know if Tram got angry and killed him o-or if he got rid of him o-or really badly hurt him…I just…I just didn’t know and I was so _scared_.”

“I’m sorry I had to ask that, Rex, but I just had to clarify the reason,” Bant said softly.

“S’okay,” Rex sniffled, giving her a weak smile. 

“You were very brave to tell me these things though, Rex,” Bant praised him. “I know it was hard, but you did so well. You’ve been so strong, Rex, to talk about what has happened and just as you go by every day and do your best to recover.”

Rex gave a shaky smile before he asked quietly, “C-Can we not talk anymore about them?” 

“Of course, Rex,” Bant said. “You did well opening up that much today. You’re making progress, that’s good.”

Bant watched as Rex’s fingers fidgeted with the cushion tassels, sensing his unease after bringing up the memory of punishment and threats. They had gone through a difficult discussion, now it was time to lighten the conversation with something that comforted Rex.

“How has your cooking been lately?” she asked him, smiling. “Try any new recipes?”

Bant watched as Rex’s golden-brown eyes immediately lit up and become animated as he spoke of a new recipe he had found to try for Echo, who had been wounded.

She smiled as she watched him speak, seeing how happy just talking about baking and about his brothers made him.

Bant knew that with Rex’s new hobby and with his brothers’ support, he would recover in time…and for that, she was thankful.

 

“Okay,” Anakin said, looking up from his datapad. “I think I’ve got it.”

Echo looked up as well from where he was leaning against Wolffe’s side, eyebrows raised.

“Really?” he asked. Anakin nodded as he stood, walking over to Echo and passing him the datapad. Wolffe smiled slightly as he watched Echo’s eyes dart over the test read outs before he nodded. 

Kix, Jesse, Fives, Tup, Puck and Hardcase all looked up from their card-game, waiting for Echo’s response.

“Science seems sound,” Echo responded. “We just need to test it now to see if it’ll actually work through skull and brain mass.”

“You can test it on me,” Puck spoke up, gaining surprised looks. “I want this thing out of my head and if you testing that on me will save my brothers lives and the lives of the Jedi, then I want to do it.”

Anakin blinked then gave a nod. If Puck wanted to do it and was volunteering, well, he wasn’t going to turn him away.

“If we’re doing this, we’re doing this in the Halls of Healing with Master Che watching,” Kix spoke up warningly. “She will need to scan his brain before and after to make sure it worked and to make sure there’s no damage left.”

Anakin nodded once more to that demand as it was reasonable, plus he knew Master Che would kill him if he tested this on a living person without her knowing.

“Can we do it now?” Puck asked nervously. “I just want this done with so we can help the rest of the brothers.”

“I don’t think all of us should go,” Anakin said, looking around at Torrent Company.

“Kix should go with you since he’s the medic,” Jesse spoke up. “I’ll stay here with the others.”

“I’ll stay here, Pup,” Wolffe told Echo. “You go and do your thing.”

Echo smiled, leaning forward to kiss Wolffe briefly, ignoring the whistles and noises from his brothers, before Wolffe helped him to his feet, his leg still a bit stiff from the wound and subsequent bacta treatment. 

Wolffe shifted to sit on the floor with the rest of Torrent. “All right, so who’s dealing the next hand?” he asked, grinning wolfishly at them.

 

Soon, Kix, Echo, Anakin and Puck were arriving at the Halls of Healing.

“Okay, which one of you is hurt now?” Vokara sighed as she walked up to them.

“None of us are injured,” Anakin reassured her. “Echo and I…well, we think we’ve figured out the right frequency and we’re ready to test it. Puck volunteered to have it tested on himself.”

“And you’re sure about this?” Vokara asked them all. 

“We’ve checked all of the evidence and test results twice,” Echo reassured her.

“I want to do this,” Puck told her. “I want this out of my head and I want to help my brothers.”

Vokara sighed, giving a nod. She led them into a nearby room, sitting Puck down.

“I’ll keep an eye on his vitals while you do this and then we’re going for an immediate scan afterwards,” she told them. 

Anakin gave her a thankful look before he turned to Echo. 

“What do you think will be the best method?” he asked. “Bucket speakers or just broadcast?”

“Maybe just broadcast normally, like through a comm,” Echo suggested. “That way if this works, we can just send out a mass message to every clone so they get it, instead of having to somehow get it transmitted through their buckets.”

Anakin nodded in agreement. He grabbed his datapad and held it close to Puck, simulating where the comm would usually be held.

“Ready?” he asked Puck.

Puck gave a smile and nodded. “Let’s do this.”

Anakin played the frequency recording, watching Puck’s face. Puck gave a slight hiss of pain.

“Are you okay?” Anakin asked him. “Do you need me to stop?”

“No, just a headache, it’s fine,” Puck told him. The recording ended a couple of seconds later and Anakin handed the datapad to Echo.

“How do you feel?” Kix asked him worriedly. 

“Slight ache in my temple,” Puck answered truthfully, “But that isn’t so bad. It just feels like to the aftermath of a headache.” 

“Come, we should get you scanned,” Vokara said as she stepped forward. “I want to make sure you’re okay.”

Puck nodded and stood, walking out of the room with Vokara.

“That was shorter than I expected,” Kix admitted, looking to Anakin and Echo.

“Well, while the frequency isn’t piercing to the human ear, we don’t want the men to turn it off before it was done, so we tested frequencies that could be done in a short burst,” Echo explained. Kix nodded thoughtfully at that, settling down to wait for Vokara to come back and report. 

Puck and Vokara soon came back with Puck sitting down and rubbing his lame leg. Vokara pulled up the holo of the 3d image of Puck’s brain, eyes focused as she zeroed in on where the chip was situated. 

“So?” Kix asked nervously. “What does it show?”

“It shows the chip has been neutralized,” Vokara said, surprised. “It’s not only been deactivated, but the frequency has caused the chip to basically fry – which would have been what caused that headache – and it’s made it completely useless.”

“So it worked?” Echo asked, amazed. 

“It did,” Vokara confirmed. “The frequency you used caused no injury to the brain. It just attacked the chip.”

Anakin gave a weak laugh, leaning against the wall. “We did it,” he said in disbelief. “We did it. The clones…they can be saved from the Sith.”

“We need to get this sent out,” Echo said, looking to him. “We need to tell the Council so we can send this out to all of the _vode_.”

“Bring a few more in here to test first,” Vokara told them. “One successful test won’t cut it for the Council, especially since we need to prove this works so the Sith can’t use the clones and override their free will.”

“I’ll send for a few more men,” Anakin said, agreeing with her. He knew that they had to make sure this worked, that it was fool-proof, otherwise a lot of lives were at risk.

 

Obi-Wan blearily opened his eyes, hearing whimpers coming from beside him. He sat up in bed, rubbing at his tired eyes as he turned to Cody.

“Cody?” Obi-Wan said gently, heart breaking as he watched Cody writhe slightly in bed, face screwed up slightly with fear. He knew Cody had had another session with Bant today and that sometimes triggered nightmares, which he seemed to be suffering through now.

“No…no…please,” Cody whimpered, pleading. “Don’t hurt him…please…please…no…no…OBI!” 

Cody suddenly cried out, shooting upright before slipping out of bed.

“Cody!” Obi-Wan called worriedly as he quickly jumped out of bed and rounded it. He slowed when he saw Cody was sitting up but had tucked himself against the side of the bed, knees drawn up as he trembled, amber eyes wide with fear. Obi-Wan gently and carefully knelt down in front of him, not touching him in case he was still embroiled within his nightmare and not wanting to startle him.

“Cody?” Obi-Wan called softly. “Cody, my love, it’s okay…you’re safe.”

Cody blinked, amber eyes meeting Obi-Wan’s concerned grey ones as he whimpered, “O-Obi?”

“Yes, my love, I’m here,” he whispered reassuringly. Cody shuddered once more before he threw himself into Obi-Wan’s arms. Obi-Wan shifted so he was cradling Cody close, with Cody’s head tucked against his shoulder. He gently hushed him as he rubbed Cody’s trembling back.

“It’s okay, my love, it was just a nightmare,” Obi-Wan crooned. “You’re safe.”

“I-It seemed so real,” Cody sobbed against Obi-Wan’s neck. “You were there, trying to save me from _him_ …b-but he managed to hurt you a-and was going to kill you a-and take me away forever. I-I thought I-I was going to lose you.”

“Oh, my love,” Obi-Wan whispered, pressing a kiss against Cody’s temple. “What a terrible nightmare…but I’m here, I’m holding you and we’re both okay. He can’t hurt you anymore nor can he hurt me. He’s gone…but we’re still here, together.”

Cody nodded, sniffling against Obi-Wan as he trembled. 

“Sorry,” Cody whispered a little while later.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, my love,” Obi-Wan murmured. “Nightmares can be so terrifying and feel so real. You have nothing to apologize for, Cody. You’re my fiancé, I will hold you through all of your nightmares and all of your sweet dreams.”

Cody clung to him tighter and Obi-Wan just rubbed his back, whispering sweet, reassuring words into his ear.

It was when Obi-Wan’s leg started to go numb and Cody had calmed somewhat, that he knew they had to move off the uncomfortable floor.

“How about some hot chocolate, _cyar’ika_?” Obi-Wan asked him gently. “I always find it comforting after nightmares.”

“Don’t want to let you go,” Cody mumbled against his neck.

“You don’t need to,” Obi-Wan promised him. “We’ll go make it together, yes?”

Cody gave a reluctant nod and allowed Obi-Wan to pull him up to standing. Cody clung to Obi-Wan’s arm as Obi-Wan slowly walked them out into the main area of the apartment and towards the kitchenette. Obi-Wan carefully walked around the kitchen, making the hot chocolate, but also making sure he was touching Cody at all times. 

Once he had set the milk to heat, he turned to look at Cody, who was still clinging to his arm. Cody’s soft black pyjamas were all ruffled from his writhing, his hair all messed up and his eyes still wide, but showing his exhaustion. Obi-Wan tilted his head as he realised Cody was averting his gaze. 

He gently touched Cody’s cheek and Cody’s amber eyes slowly lifted until they were meeting Obi-Wan’s gaze. Obi-Wan gave him a loving, reassuring smile.

“You’re okay, my love,” Obi-Wan told him. “We’ll get this hot chocolate, sit on the couch and watch some silly holos until we fall asleep. Does that sound good?”

Cody gave a weak smile as he wrapped his arms around Obi-Wan, resting his head against Obi-Wan’s.

“Sounds perfect.”

Soon, the hot chocolate was done and Obi-Wan led them to the couch, making sure Cody was sitting down with mug in hands, before he fussed over Cody, grabbing a soft blanket and wrapping it around both of them.

Cody let out a content, relaxed sigh as he leaned against Obi-Wan, watching some ridiculous movie that Obi-Wan had found.

Sipping the hot chocolate, Cody found himself finally unwinding and relaxing after the horrible nightmare. The warmth of the hot chocolate warmed his belly, the warmth spreading through his body, plus the added extra of Obi-Wan’s solid form and warmth was making him relaxed and sleepy. 

Obi-Wan gently took the empty mug from Cody once he noticed Cody’s head nodding slightly as Cody struggled to remain awake. Using the Force in what one what would could call a ‘blatant misuse’, he floated the empty mugs to sit on the coffee table. Obi-Wan gently shifted his arm to wrap around Cody, so Cody was snuggled more securely against his side, gaining a content sigh from his love. 

He smiled as he watched Cody finally succumb to sleep halfway through the terrible movie. Obi-Wan gently shifted Cody so Cody’s head was resting in his lap, so he wouldn’t wake up sore, and gently stroked Cody’s hair, smiling at the peaceful expression on the face that had been terrified barely an hour ago.

“I promise I will never let anyone hurt you again,” Obi-Wan swore quietly as he stroked Cody’s hair. He hated seeing Cody so fearful because of one being’s actions. Cody was a good man. He didn’t deserve this, didn’t deserve the fears and the tears that plagued his life and his sleep.

He deserved to be happy and care-free.

“We’ll still have our happy ending, my love,” Obi-Wan murmured softly as he continued to stroke Cody’s hair. “We’ll make a home on a peaceful planet, somewhere where you’ll never need to fight or fear again. We’ll just be together and we’ll be happy.”

Obi-Wan knew that day would come, but even he couldn’t foresee what was soon to pass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, starting to move again :D


	34. Heart to Heart

Bant smoothed down her cream coloured robes, straightening out her dark blue obi, as she stood before Bail Organa’s door. She glanced around the clean, opulent hallway of the Republic Executive Building, feeling out of place. Many Senators stayed here or had offices here, much like Bail did. He both lived here and had an office in the building, one that he used when he had enough of the Senate building and needed to get away. 

Taking in a breath, Bant pressed on the door pad to announce her presence. The door opened and Bail stood in the open space, the large man practically taking up most of the door frame. He smiled warmly at her.

“Bant, it’s good to see you,” he greeted her warmly as he stepped aside to let her in. 

“Thank you, Bail,” Bant returned. “I do apologize that I could only come so late, but I couldn’t put off my patients.”

“No, no, that’s no problem at all,” Bail reassured her as he closed the door. “I wouldn’t want you to do that.”

Bant offered him a small smile as he led her into the apartment.

“Do you have any appointments tomorrow morning?” Bail asked her. “I don’t want to keep you too late if you do.”

“I have one with Cody in the morning,” Bant said as she followed him. “He had one today as well, but we usually do a follow up the next day as well.”

Bail nodded in understanding as he led her into a living area. Bant sat down, watching as Bail settled down onto the couch as well. He stood up a few seconds later, Bant following his example, as a slim woman walked into the room from the bedroom. She was tall, only barely shorter than Bail, dressed in a flowing deep blue dress and her hair done up in an elaborated braided bun. 

“Bant, may I introduce my wife,” Bail said as he took her hand. “Queen Breha Organa of Alderaan.”

Bant gave a small, respectful bow. “Your Majesty.”

“Please, Master Jedi, call me Breha,” Breha smiled. “We are all friends here.”

“As long as you call me Bant, Breha,” Bant returned with a smile. “I’m definitely not a Master Jedi yet.”

“Oh?” Breha questioned as she sat down beside Bail.

“Master is usually the term the Padawan calls their mentor,” Bant explained carefully. “But when it comes to titles within the Jedi ranks, I’m just a Jedi Knight.”

“So, how many levels to being a Jedi are there?”

“Well, there’s Initiate, which are the younglings who too young to be chosen to be Padawans or just haven’t been chosen yet,” Bant explained. “Then it’s Padawan, when we’re taken on to be a student to a Master.”

“It’s like an apprenticeship,” Bail said with a smile. Bant nodded in agreement. 

“Then it’s Knight once you’ve graduated the Trials, where you cut off your Padawan braid and go off on your own, doing solo missions, and are able to take your own Padawan once you’re ready,” Bant continued to explain. “Master is usually a term given once the Jedi Knight has had a Padawan who has graduated or are given that title if they become a member of the Jedi Council.” 

“So Obi-Wan is an actual Master Jedi?” Bail asked curiously. 

“Yes,” Bant said with a small smile, “though he was given that title just before Anakin became a Knight, since he became a member of the Council while Anakin was still a Padawan.” 

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Bail chuckled as he looked to Breha. “Obi-Wan always pushes himself to be better.”

“A little too far sometimes,” Bant muttered, shaking her head. Bail nodded in agreement as Breha gave a small smile.

“Yes, you have told me of Obi-Wan’s exploits,” Breha said. “As charming as he was when I met him, you can tell he was a bit of a trouble maker…in a good way of course,” Breha added with a laugh. “He didn’t make trouble to be malicious, it was just something that happened to him, am I correct?”

“Very correct,” Bant agreed, smiling. 

“Now, how about I order some food and we can get down to business, huh?” Bail asked, clapping his hands together. “Bant, are there any foods you can’t eat?”

“No, I’m fine with everything really,” Bant said softly with a smile. “As Jedi we can’t afford to be picky about the foods we eat, in case a planet we’re sent to, where we need to eat, we don’t end up causing a public incident by refusing foods and insulting our hosts.”

“Oh, how do you learn to tolerate different foods though?” Breha asked curiously. 

“We’re fed a wide variety at the Temple,” Bant answered. 

“Well, are there any foods that you’re not particularly fond of?” Bail tried instead. Bant gave a weak smile.

“I’m not good with really spicy food,” she admitted. Bail smiled and nodded.

“Mild food then, that works fine,” he told her before he pressed a kiss to Breha’s cheek before he stood up to go and organise food. Breha smiled at Bant as Bail moved into the next room. 

“Bail tells me you’ve been trying to help the clones with therapy,” Breha started to say. “I was shocked when I learnt they didn’t have access to a therapist or Mind Healer, especially after everything they go through.”

“We were surprised to learn that too,” Bant admitted. “The GAR told us that they had a program in place for them, but they lied to us and it was almost too late when we found out.”

Breha shook her head sadly. 

Bant blinked, looking at Breha. “Bail…Bail said that you had political insight that could help the clones.”

“Yes, well, it ties into your expertise as well,” Breha said. “I work with a lot of refuges and volunteer my time to talk to victims of rape and abuse.”

“Like Cody and Rex,” Bant murmured. Breha inclined her head.

“I’ve seen the outcomes of what has happened when victims slip through the cracks,” Breha continued to explain. “Bail has also told me that Master Windu has found footage of the clones being abused by Navy personal, which could lead to mental and emotional problems as well.”

Bant nodded in agreement. “You sound like you have a sound knowledge of psychology as well, Breha.”

Breha smiled warmly at her. “I do,” she admitted. “It was something I studied so I could be of further assistance to my people.”

“That will be useful,” Bant said. “It’ll give your words more credibility…I mean, despite you also being a Queen,” Bant added hastily, though she just got a laugh from Breha. “You know what damage abuse could cause, both mentally and emotionally. If the Senate knew of the long term damage this could leave to the clones, how the clones could just…snap or lose the will to live if it continues like this…well, they’d lose their army.”

Breha nodded. “I don’t think many members of the Senate comprehend that the clones are feeling, emotional beings. They don’t see the horrors the clones face with the war, and then the abuse some of them suffer from those they’re meant to serve alongside…they just don’t understand, do they?”

“We’ll make them understand,” Bail’s voice said. Bant and Breha looked up as he walked back into the room. “We’re going to make those blind Senators see.”

 

Obi-Wan knelt on his meditation mat, which he moved into a patch of sun shining in from the window and breathed in deeply. He smiled slightly as he checked on Cody, who was in a session with Bant, and got a strong feeling of love back in return from his beloved. 

Obi-Wan tilted his head slightly as he heard the door open and a familiar, blazing Force presence entered the room.

“Hello, Anakin,” Obi-Wan greeted as he opened his eyes, smiling warmly at him. Anakin grabbed his old meditation mat – though it was just like new since he rarely used it – and spread it in front of Obi-Wan, kneeling across from him.

“I’ve heard you had success with the chips,” Obi-Wan said proudly. 

Anakin nodded. “The Council have been informed since all of our tests have proved successful,” Anakin explained. “So, the frequency has been given to Wolffe and Ponds and they will be in charge of sending it out, since their messages will be answered seeing as they’re highly respected Commanders of the High Generals. Echo has also managed to make a program that will show Wolffe and Ponds who have and who have not listened to the frequency.”

Obi-Wan smiled, reaching out to grasp Anakin’s hand. “I am so proud of you.”

Anakin smiled back gently, squeezing Obi-Wan’s hand in return. 

“So, Cody not here?” he asked, looking around. Obi-Wan shook his head.

“No, he has a session with Bant,” Obi-Wan answered. “Which was timed well, since he had one hell of a nightmare this morning.”

Anakin winced at that. “Is he okay?”

“He didn’t want to be left alone,” Obi-Wan murmured, “but we had hot chocolate and watched a terrible movie.”

Anakin smiled at that. He remembered him and Obi-Wan doing that many times during his apprenticeship, especially during his younger years when he still had horrible nightmares about what he had seen on Tatooine. 

Obi-Wan had always been a comforting rock to him, no matter the pain he had been in himself during the early years when Obi-Wan was still struggling to overcome Qui-Gon’s death and with having a Padawan thrust upon him. 

Anakin suddenly remembered something from his and Windu’s conversation and he looked up at Obi-Wan, meeting his concerned grey eyes. Obi-Wan tilted his head slightly, sensing something had changed.

“Dear one?” Obi-Wan asked gently. “What is it?”

“I-I spoke to Master Windu after…after the original Senate vote and after the Chancellor spoke to me,” Anakin murmured. Obi-Wan reached out to squeeze Anakin’s hand again.

“Yes, I heard about that,” Obi-Wan said quietly. “Are you okay?”

“Windu and I had a talk,” Anakin said, giving a small nod. “We…we had more in common than I thought.”

Obi-Wan offered a gentle smile at that. 

“Did you know the Council sent Siri to free my mum?” Anakin asked, voice cracking somewhat with emotion. Obi-Wan blinked, shocked, and Anakin gave a sad smile.

“It was when I was thinking of leaving,” Anakin explained quietly. “They didn’t want me to go back to Tatooine if Mum was still a slave, so they sent Siri. The plan was they’d take Mum to Alderaan or Naboo, but Siri saw that Mum was in love and that that love was returned, so she went to Cliegg and offered to help him free her.”

“Oh, dear one,” Obi-Wan whispered.

“Mum didn’t want me to miss her, so once Siri told her how I was going, she was happy but didn’t want to send me a message.”

Obi-Wan winced at that. “Anakin…”

“No…no, it’s okay, Obi-Wan,” Anakin said, smiling weakly. “I’m…I’m just happy that Mum was free and happy, now that I can see past my anger. She was happy.”

Obi-Wan just squeezed his hand again and Anakin gave a weak smile.

“That wasn’t what I wanted to talk about though.”

“Oh?”

“No,” Anakin murmured. “Windu said something to me when he was telling me that story,” Anakin explained, meeting Obi-Wan’s eyes. “He said that if I left that you would have left with me.”

Obi-Wan blinked, giving a small smile. “Of course, dearest, did you ever doubt that I would just let you leave alone?”

“You were _meant_ to be a Jedi, Obi-Wan,” Anakin said, looking away. “Y-You _couldn’t_ leave that, not for me.”

Obi-Wan shifted forward so he could cup Anakin’s cheek in hand, getting Anakin’s eyes back on him. 

“ **You** were always more important to me, Anakin,” Obi-Wan told him sincerely. “I could still be a Jedi, even if I wasn’t in the Temple, but I could never leave you.”

Anakin bit back a sob and Obi-Wan quickly pulled him in close, cradling the taller man and stroking his hair.

“Oh, dear one,” Obi-Wan murmured sadly. “Did you really think that I didn’t care for you?”

“I-I just thought being a Jedi was more important,” Anakin cried softly. “Y-You were always the perfect Jedi a-and…a-and I don’t know!”

“Dearest,” Obi-Wan cooed softly as he gently scratched at Anakin’s scalp comfortingly. Anakin shook his head against Obi-Wan’s shoulder. 

“I-I just…I can see now the Chancellor kept trying to turn me against you,” Anakin mumbled against Obi-Wan’s loose tunic shirt. Obi-Wan’s arms tightened slightly around Anakin.

“Force, I was so stupid to believe him,” Anakin muttered as he clung to Obi-Wan. “You’re my brother.”

Obi-Wan pressed a kiss to Anakin’s temple. “He was wrong,” Obi-Wan said quietly. “But you weren’t stupid, dear one, he knew exactly what words and what buttons to push to get you to distance yourself from me.”

Obi-Wan sighed as he nuzzled against Anakin’s soft hair.

“I shouldn’t have held myself back from you either,” Obi-Wan murmured. “I was so scared to get close, in case I lost you, but you wormed your way into my heart anyway…and I know at times you felt like I was holding you back, that you were ready, and in some ways you were ready…but I wasn’t, I was scared of letting you go, knowing you were so headstrong. I was scared you would jump headfirst into something bad and get yourself killed…and I just couldn’t do it. I lost Qui-Gon before I was ready, I couldn’t bear to lose you too.” 

Anakin pulled back to stare at Obi-Wan in shock. Obi-Wan just smiled weakly. 

“W-Why tell me now?” Anakin asked quietly. 

“Cody and the _vode_ taught me to be more open with my affection,” Obi-Wan admitted. “You know how the Jedi view attachment and that was how I was taught since I was a child – not to mention Qui-Gon wasn’t very affectionate.”

Anakin nodded.

“Then you come along, a child who grew up with a loving mother who showered you with love and affectionate, and I suddenly had a child who needed hugs and affection…and I found myself coming to love that you came to me for hugs or if you needed cheering up,” Obi-Wan continued. “However, I also knew that I had to be the best Jedi I could be, so the Council would get off our backs.”

Anakin curled back close, finally understanding.

“I missed being a Senior Padawan sometimes,” Obi-Wan murmured as he stroked Anakin’s hair. “I missed going out with my friends and being able to joke around. When I was Knighted, and when I had you in my care, I tried to be as serious as I could, to show that I could do this so they didn’t take you away from me – I don’t think I would have survived them taking you from me.”

Anakin clung tighter to Obi-Wan at that. 

“I lost a few friends when I pulled away,” Obi-Wan continued. “It took me a while to get them back, but I had you at least. I got to watch you grow into an incredible Jedi and young man.”

“Obi-Wan,” Anakin mumbled, embarrassed. Obi-Wan just chuckled as he stroked Anakin’s hair.

“So, yes, Anakin, I would have left the Jedi if you had decided that being a Jedi wasn’t your path,” Obi-Wan told him truthfully. “I understand wanting to leave the Jedi, I mean…I did leave the Jedi for a cause I thought was greater…and I will leave the Jedi when this war is over and the clones have their rights.”

“Even though the Jedi are accepting attachments?” Anakin asked, surprised.

“I’m tired, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said quietly. “I’m tired of war, I’m tired of fighting and I’m tired of death. I just want a peaceful life now with Cody.”

“But…you always wanted to be a Jedi.”

“I can still be a Jedi,” Obi-Wan informed him, “and I know it’s what I wanted, but after I met Cody, well, I want something else now. I want a different future.”

“I’ll miss you,” Anakin whispered as he buried his face back into Obi-Wan’s neck, feeling the soft, yet bristly hair of Obi-Wan’s beard gently rubbing against his temple.

“You can always come and see me,” Obi-Wan promised him. “Cody and I have already discussed finding a house big enough for you and Padme, Rex and Fives, and Ahsoka – but I think I’ve done what I can here,” Obi-Wan mused. “Once we get this war done and the clones freed, I think I’ll be ready to move on with a new life with Cody.”

“I get that,” Anakin said quietly. “I’ll miss you, so will Ahsoka, but I know you and Cody will be there when we need to get away from the Temple.”

“Always, dearest one, I’ll always be here for you.”

 

Cody shuffled slightly on the cushions as he kept his eyes on Bant. Bant just smiled warmly at him.

“You look tired,” Bant told him gently. “Are you sleeping okay?”

“No,” Cody admitted as he grabbed a cushion, pulling at its tassels – the same cushion, Bant noted with surprise, that Rex had fidgeted with the last session. “I had a nightmare last night.”

“Do you want to tell me what it was about?” Bant asked in concern. 

“I dreamt that Obi-Wan had come to rescue me…but Tram managed to beat him and was going to…going to kill him,” Cody choked. “I-I knew that I couldn’t save Obi a-and Tram would take me away a-and I would be gone forever.”

“Is that what you thought when Tram managed to take you away?” Bant asked softly. “On Osiris, after the rescue attempt, is that what you thought?”

Cody gave a small nod, eyes downcast. “I heard Obi through our bond, telling me that he would never give up on me, that he would find me, and I knew he’d try his best – but I also knew that Tram was _never_ going to let me go without a fight,” Cody said quietly. “I-I resigned myself to not making it back home.”

Bant looked at him sadly as Cody breathed in deeply, trying to calm his racing heart.

“Did you lose hope because Rex wasn’t there with you?” she asked quietly. Cody gave a small shrug.

“I-I don’t know,” he admitted. “Rex made me stronger and I knew that Obi-Wan would never stop searching for me, b-but I knew Tram would kill me before he lost me.” Cody gave a bitter laugh. “Though, thankfully I was wrong and Jango killed Tram first.”

“Do you remember much of your time on Tatooine before Jango rescued you?” Bant asked carefully. “I know you were drugged for quite a while.”

“I was drugged on spice from the second day,” Cody said absently as he pulled at a tassel. “It made me more docile and compliant apparently, but…I only remember flashes, everything was pretty hazy and I remember I struggled to focus on anything.”

“What do you remember?” Bant pushed carefully, watching as Cody frowned, eyes distant as he thought back, sifting through memories.

“He beat me a bit,” Cody said softly. “He was still so angry that the Jedi came to Osiris, that I tried to give Obi-Wan my wedding vows, and then tried to run we got to Tatooine. He whipped me with his belt, but not too hard since he didn’t want me to scar,” Cody said bitterly. 

Bant just watched as Cody frowned, eye turning down towards the cushion clenched in his hands.

“H-He…he complained that the spice was expensive,” Cody said, so quietly Bant barely heard him. “He said it was my fault a-and I’d have to pay for it.”

“Cody…”

“H-He let others u-use my mouth for money,” Cody gasped out, voice thick with emotion, as tears began to fall down his face. “He used to watch to make sure none of them went too far…but he didn’t care if they hurt me!”

“Oh, Cody,” Bant whispered, horrified.

“Why couldn’t the spice block that out?” Cody whimpered, looking to her. Bant carefully shifted forward and offered her webbed hands. Cody immediately latched onto them, falling forward so his head was resting on Bant’s shoulder. Bant released a hand so she could reach up and gently stroke Cody’s hair.

“It’s hard to find the right words with situations like this,” Bant said softly as she gently and reassuringly stroked Cody’s soft black hair. “But I just want to tell you that I am proud of you for opening up.”

Cody sniffled slightly against her shoulder and Bant hushed him comfortingly. 

“You went through something nobody should be forced to go through,” Bant continued. “Despite losing hope at the start, you still fought to stay alive, Cody. I’ve seen it before in people who use spice, if they have no will to live or to fight back, they easily succumb to the drug and just never wake up again, just lets the spice kill them – but you’re still here. You fought back because you wanted to live.”

“It hurt so much.”

“I know,” Bant soothed, “but you’re safe now, you’re with the ones who love you. You’re doing so well in therapy too; you’re opening up and letting yourself recover and not repressing it. You’re doing so well, Cody, and I am so proud of you.”

“R-Really?” Cody’s voice asked meekly.

“Yes,” Bant told him sincerely. “You’re not resisting therapy, you are doing your best to recover, and you’re going about life normally in order to gain a sense of routine and, well, normality. You have been so strong and I am proud of you – and of Rex – for being so strong, yet being willing to talk about how you're feeling, your fears and your hopes as well.”

Cody pulled back, smiling weakly at Bant as he rubbed at his watery eyes.

“I know it can be hard to talk about this,” Bant said softly as she gently squeezed his hand.

“It is,” Cody agreed, voice hoarse, “but…but I don’t want to let him win. I want to live my life without fear. I just want to be with Obi and my brothers.”

Bant smiled gently. “And how do you feel now?”

“Less burdened,” Cody said weakly. “L-Like Tram’s hold is loosening on me.”

“And it will only get easier,” Bant reassured him. “I won’t sugar-coat it, there will be nightmares and days where you just don’t want to get out of bed, but you’re starting to talk now, starting to unburden yourself from all of those horrible memories, to discuss them and overcome them…and in time the scars will heal.”

Bant finished the session there, knowing Cody had spoken enough for today. Cody thanked her gently at the door, hesitantly giving her a hug that Bant returned warmly. 

Cody sighed as he stepped outside of the room. He did feel a bit lighter after telling Bant what had happened to him on Tatooine, but it left him feeling a bit queasy.

Cody swallowed as he walked down the halls, heading towards his and Obi-Wan’s apartment. 

All he wanted to do was go home and bury himself into Obi-Wan’s arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there's that one...
> 
> Are you guys still enjoying this? You've gone a bit quiet on me lately...


	35. Brothers

Obi-Wan sighed as he read his comm.

“What’s wrong?” Cody asked as he wrapped his arms around Obi-Wan’s middle, resting his head on Obi-Wan’s shoulder.

“We’re being deployed again,” Obi-Wan murmured. Cody sighed as he nuzzled his face into Obi-Wan’s neck. Obi-Wan just reached up to stroke absently at Cody’s hair as he read the message again, frowning.

“Odd timing,” Obi-Wan said quietly.

“Mm?”

“The hearing in the Senate is this week,” Obi-Wan explained. “Anakin was meant to be there as support…as was I.”

“You?” Cody asked, voice muffled in Obi-Wan’s neck. 

“Yes,” Obi-Wan murmured. “I was to speak up as a witness about the clones who had been sent to be decommissioned and reconditioned that we sent elsewhere. I’m the one who keeps track of them.”

Cody blinked at that, pulling his face out of Obi-Wan’s neck.

“So why can’t the Council send someone else?” Cody asked.

“Because the Chancellor has ordered that Anakin and I take care of this,” Obi-Wan said bitterly.

“I never realised how often he chose our battalions to send out,” Cody said thoughtfully. “We always seem to be his number one choice.”

“Yes, to send into death-defying situations,” Obi-Wan muttered. “I always seem to be the one sent after Grievous.”

Cody shuddered at that. “I don’t miss chasing after him,” Cody said. “I was always worried about you facing him since you were so driven to stop him.”

“Cody,” Obi-Wan breathed, turning around to face him.

“I always worried that that grudge match between you would mean you wouldn’t come home one day,” Cody admitted. 

“I couldn’t let him go, Cody,” Obi-Wan murmured. “He’s killed too many of us, both clones and Jedi alike.”

“I know,” Cody sighed, resting his head against Obi-Wan’s. “Still, I worry about you.”

Obi-Wan smiled gently at him as he wrapped his arms loosely around Cody’s waist. Cody returned the smile sadly, the smile warming as Obi-Wan rubbed his nose against Cody’s. 

“So when do you need to leave?” Cody asked quietly.

“I’ve got two days,” Obi-Wan sighed. “I need to go talk to Hevy and Helix.”

“Oh?” Cody asked curiously. Hevy had just been released from the Halls of Healing with Vokara Che being pleased enough with his progress and weight gain. Hevy had moved into Ponds’s old apartment, where he shared it with Echo and a very overprotective Wolffe. 

“Yes, Bant thinks that it would be best for Hevy’s recovery if he was with his brothers,” Obi-Wan explained. “Since Hevy was isolated for so long, he’s touch starved. Having Fives and Echo back in his life has helped him, but Bant thinks that having Hevy back on a ship, surrounded by his brothers, will help him the most.”

“But he’s not battle ready,” Cody said, shocked.

“He won’t be leaving the ship,” Obi-Wan reassured him. “He’ll be in the medbay.”

“But what if the ship gets attacked?” Cody countered. “We all know that can happen.”

“Hevy will be paired up with Helix or members of Ghost, since I’m assigning him to Ghost officially. He’ll be looked after with them,” Obi-Wan promised. Cody sighed but nodded. Cody blinked, a thought coming to him suddenly.

“Why didn’t you assign him to Torrent with Echo and Fives?”

“Torrent is rather full, especially since Tup has rejoined it,” Obi-Wan replied. “Ghost has some space, plus Helix is familiar with Hevy and the injuries he suffered, so that will make things simpler.”

Cody nodded, leaning against Obi-Wan. It would probably be too soon to have Hevy thrust back into Fives’s and Echo’s life permanently. After all, they had gone two years thinking he was dead and developed their own lives within the 501st, to have Hevy suddenly there within the 501st would complicate things a bit.

“You’ve always told me that the _vode_ are comforted simply by being around the others,” Obi-Wan said quietly. “That’s why you have the cuddle piles or share beds after hard battles, right?”

“Right,” Cody sighed softly. “There’s just something comforting about hearing your brothers breathing or snoring as they sleep, hearing their chatter and laughter. It’s soothing.”  
Obi-Wan looked up at Cody at that, tilting his head slightly as his grey eyes regarded Cody sadly.

“Did you struggle with that?” Obi-Wan asked quietly, gaining a confused look from Cody. “When you were on Osiris?”

Cody flinched slightly. “I-I did,” he admitted. “I mean, I had Rex sleeping by my side, so his warmth and just hearing him and knowing he was there helped…but when we were separated and no one would talk to me, well, that was when I struggled.”

“The _vode_ are social beings,” Obi-Wan murmured, reaching up to stroke Cody’s face. “You’re meant to have someone by your side, to live, sleep, eat and fight beside.”

“Well, now I’ve got you,” Cody just replied, smiling. Obi-Wan chuckled, leaning up to kiss Cody’s cheek.

“Flatterer.”

Cody laughed softly at that, nuzzling his nose into Obi-Wan’s hair and breathing in his scent. 

“You’ll comm me when you can though, right?” Cody asked quietly. Obi-Wan nodded, squeezing Cody’s waist gently.

“Of course, my love, whenever I can.”

 

Rex sighed as he walked into Cody’s and Obi-Wan’s apartment, looking around. Obi-Wan had left the day before, having been rushed out to battle with Skywalker. Cody had been there in the hangar to see him off, as Rex had been to see Fives off, before he had retreated to his apartment.

Cody was supposed to come to breakfast with Rex and Ponds but hadn’t turned up. Ponds had given Rex a sad smile, telling Rex to go to him while Ponds went and assisted Windu with the mountain of files and footage that he was still trying to get in order. 

Rex walked into the apartment, heading towards the bedroom. He paused in the doorway, sighing as he looked into the darkened room. He could see a lump bundled up in bed.

“Oh, Cod’ika,” Rex murmured sadly. Amber eyes peered out from the nest of blankets, meeting Rex’s gaze.

“Hey, _vod’ika_ ,” Cody’s voice greeted quietly. “I-I just…I didn’t want to get out of bed.”

Rex nodded in understanding as he walked over. He toed off his shoes before he climbed into the bed next to Cody. Cody turned over, smiling sadly at Rex. Cody shifted the blankets so they were covering Rex as well. Rex shifted closer to Cody, resting his head against Cody’s.

“So, why didn’t you want to get out of bed?” Rex asked quietly. Cody snuggled in closer, breathing out, but relaxing against Rex, feeling comforted.

“I miss him already,” Cody mumbled. “The bed is warm, it smells like him, and I don’t need to worry about people.”

“I get that,” Rex murmured as he wrapped his arm around Cody, holding him close. Cody sighed in content as he snuggled closer.

“Missed this,” Cody mumbled, so quietly that Rex almost missed it.

“Missed what, Cod’ika?” 

“Curling up with you,” Cody said quietly. “I-I know we haven’t been around each other as much because we’re with our loved ones and we haven’t been with them for months…and I know that it just being us reminds me of it just being us on Osiris…but I’ve missed cuddling up with my _vod’ika_.”

Rex stared at Cody in surprise at that quiet admission. 

“Cody, we see each other every day,” Rex said quietly, rubbing Cody’s arm. Cody gave a weak smile.

“I-I know…but…I don’t know,” Cody trailed off, unsure of how to word how he was feeling.

“Codes, you know I would come to you whenever you needed me, right?” Rex asked him softly. “I still need you as well. No matter what we went through together and what memories it might bring up, I will _always_ need you.”

“I’ll always need you too,” Cody replied as he grabbed Rex’s free hand, squeezing it. Rex shuffled closer as Cody in close, resting his head against Rex’s chest. 

“We’re going to be all right, _ori’vod_ ,” Rex murmured as he wrapped an arm around Cody, holding his brother close. He could feel himself relaxing with Cody in his arms, just knowing that Cody was here and he was safe. 

He had been so worried when Tram got away with Cody, so worried that he’d never see Cody again. Rex shifted slightly, looking down at Cody to see Cody’s eyes were drifting close as he started to doze off, comforted by Rex’s warmth. 

Rex never realised how much he had struggled, how much he had needed to curl up with Cody, to hold him close, until he had been reunited with his _ori’vod_ , and had him nearby again. 

“I know we’ll be okay,” Cody murmured finally. “We’ve got each other and our _cyares_ and our brothers.”

“Not to mention Bant,” Rex added quietly with a smile. Cody gave a small laugh.

“No, definitely can’t forget Bant,” Cody agreed with a chuckle. 

“How are you going with the sessions?” Rex asked quietly as he rubbed Cody’s back.

“I think I’m doing okay,” Cody admitted. “W-We spoke about what happened on Tatooine.”

Rex blinked, looking at Cody in surprise. Cody looked back up at him, giving a weak smile.

“O-Oh,” Rex murmured before he looked away. 

“Rex?” Cody asked in concern, hands cautiously touching Rex’s chest. “What is it?”

“I was so scared,” Rex admitted quietly. “I was so scared that I was never going to see you again, that Tram would…would kill you or sell you…”

“Shh, Rex’ika,” Cody hushed as Rex began to ramble, chest heaving as he finally told Cody of his fears that he had hidden so deeply within himself. He always tried to be positive, especially to Fives and Obi-Wan, but there had been times when he had doubted that Cody would be found, or found in one piece.

Cody gathered Rex close, holding his _vod’ika_ close and gently rubbing his back soothingly. 

“It’s okay now, Rex,” Cody murmured. “We’re together. We’re safe. I’m home now.”

“I was so scared I was going to lose you!” Rex breathed into Cody’s neck as he held him close. “I-I just…how could I live without you?”

“You have Fives, Rex,” Cody reminded him.

“I-I know…but he could never understand what happened to us on Osiris – you get what I’m saying, right?”

Cody sighed, giving a nod. “I understand.”

And he did. As much as he loved Obi-Wan, there was no way Obi-Wan could ever know or understand what had happened to Cody and Rex on Osiris. Only Rex could ever understand since he suffered the same, since he had witnessed all that had happened. 

Cody just held Rex closer, cradling his little brother. He gave a sad smile at that thought.

It had been so long since he had to hold and reassure his brother, since Cody had to be the tough older brother. Rex trembled in his hold, clinging to his older brother tightly.

“You’ve been so brave, my _verd’ika_ ,” Cody crooned as he nuzzled against Rex’s head. “So brave.”

Rex gave a shaky smile as Cody called him his ‘little soldier’. Cody had used that as an affectionate nickname for him when they had still been cadets and Rex had been trying so hard to prove himself.

“Not as brave as you, _ori’vod_ ,” Rex murmured. Cody gave a small chuckle, nuzzling against Rex’s hair.

“Oh, I think you are, _ner vod’ika_ ,” Cody responded before yawning. Rex gave a small laugh as he curled up closer to Cody, feeling warm and secure under the soft blankets and within Cody’s arms. Cody rested his head against Rex’s, feeling a bit more at ease now that his brother was here. He had been feeling on edge and uneasy since Obi-Wan had left. 

“We gotta go see Ponds,” Rex yawned as he curled up closer. “He was worried about you.”

“Sleep first,” Cody mumbled. “It’s warm and still smells like Obi-Wan.”

Rex nodded, understanding the comfort of a scent. His bed still smelt like Fives, which was the scent of regulation soap and a cologne that Fives had and used for shore leave. 

“They’ll be home before we know it,” Rex murmured sleepily against Cody’s shoulder. 

“I know,” Cody sighed softly, “but it’s still too long.”

“I know,” Rex echoed. 

They were both awoken later that afternoon as Ponds crawled into bed on the other side of Cody. 

“Ponds?” Cody said groggily, rolling over as he rubbed at his eyes sleepily. Ponds smiled as he smoothed Cody’s wayward bed head back into place. 

“Hello, little brothers, did you sleep well?” Ponds asked quietly, watching as Rex sat up, yawning. 

“Yeah, what time is it?” Rex asked sleepily. 

“Past mid-day,” Ponds replied. “I came to check on you and also brought some lunch.”

Cody smiled as he leaned against Ponds.

“Thanks, _ori’vod_ ,” Cody yawned. 

“And there’s something else I wanted to show you as well,” Ponds said, gaining looks from his brothers. “It’s good, I promise.”

Ponds reached over and grabbed his datapad from where he had placed it on the bedside table. He scrolled through the files, finding the one he had just received.

“Helix sent me this,” Ponds explained as he handed the datapad over to Cody. “Mace approved it, but I wanted you two to see it before I uploaded it.”

Rex shifted in closer so he could see the datapad as Cody pressed play on the video file.

They both smiled as they saw a cuddle pile made up of members of Torrent and Ghost Companies, with Obi-Wan, Anakin and Ahsoka all intertwined within the group.

 

“ _And here we have the members of Ghost and Torrent Companies along with their respective Jedi,_ ” Helix’s voice said, though he had changed his voice to that one usually hears when they’re watching a nature documentary. The camera angle moved around the cuddle pile, showing the clones and Jedi lying on a spread of pillows and blankets, looking at every possible angle.

“ _We find them in their natural habitat, on board a cruiser, and performing a comfort ritual…best known as the ‘cuddle pile’_ ,” Helix’s voice continued to narrate in that ridiculous tone. 

“ _The cuddle pile is known for its therapeutic benefits…and for getting stubborn Jedi to relax and sleep,_ ” Helix continued, the camera angle moving to show a close up of Obi-Wan’s face, who cocked an eyebrow, from where he was lying in the pile with Tup cuddled up close to his side and Anakin using his stomach as a pillow. 

“ _Excuse you_ ,” Obi-Wan just said before he settled his head down back down from where it had been resting on Waxer’s back. “ _We’re not stubborn_.”

“ _As your medic, I say otherwise, General,_ ” Helix retorted, his voice back to normal. 

“ _Shh, Helix_ ,” Ahsoka grumbled from where she was curled around Fives. “ _Sleeping_.”

“ _Ah yes,_ ” Helix said, voice back into its narrator tone and lowered to a whisper. “ _We cannot disturb sleeping Padawans…especially one going through a growth spurt._ ”

Ahsoka cracked open an eye to level the camera with a glare.

“ _If she bites you, I’m going to laugh_ ,” Kix spoke up as he lifted his head up from Jesse’s chest. “ _Don’t mess with the Togrutan **vod'ika** when she’s going through a growth spurt_.”

“ _I’ll stick to this side of the pile then, away from the sharp teeth_ ,” Helix retorted, standing near Boil and Crys. Helix moved the camera around, showing how everyone was somehow touching and curled together. Kix had his head on Jesse’s chest, while Jesse’s head rested on Hardcase’s leg, who had his head tucked against Waxer’s shoulder. Waxer was lying on his stomach, snoring softly, as Obi-Wan used his back as a pillow. Anakin was using Obi-Wan’s stomach as a pillow as Fives used Anakin’s leg as a pillow, with Ahsoka cuddled up to Fives’s back, arms wrapped tightly around him. Echo had his head resting against Fives’s chest with Hevy’s back pressing against Echo’s own. Boil, Crys, Wooley and Puck were curled up around the edges, since they would be needed on duty soon. 

“ _And here we see the clones all comfortable and sleeping, preparing for their next battle_ ,” Helix continued again. “ _Cuddle piles have been a tradition since they were cadets on Kamino. It’s a way to reduce stress and to calm down, a sure fire way to make sure they’re ready for whatever the day brings…with the added bonus of making sure their stubborn Jedi finally get some rest_.”

“ _Helix_ ,” Waxer groaned. “ _Stop with the nature holo voice-over and join the pile before I get Hardcase to sit on you_.”

Helix chuckled, finally dropping the narrator voice. “ _All right, all right_ ,” Helix laughed softly. “ _Who am I to refuse a cuddle pile with my favourite **vode**? Especially when we finally get our stubborn Jedi to join us._”

The camera angle changed, showing as Helix slumped into the pile, showing the medic’s smiling face as wriggled into the pile to rest his head on Obi-Wan’s thigh. Obi-Wan’s hand reached into the view to pat Helix’s dark red hair before the video cut out. 

 

Cody and Rex looked to Ponds, who was smiling softly as he watched them. 

“Thank you, Ponds,” Cody said quietly as he handed the datapad back before looking at his older brother and smiling. “Thank you.”

Ponds smiled before he pulled Cody into a loose headlock, knuckling his head, hearing Cody yelp and wriggle to break free of the torment to his hair.

“You’re welcome, _vod’ika_ ,” Ponds told him before letting his pouting brother go. Cody pouted at him playfully as he fixed his hair. 

“Now, let’s get you two some lunch, huh?”

 

Kit Fisto frowned as he looked over his datapad as he walked down the halls. He had to go check on a system that the Separatists were seen about.

“General Fisto!” 

Kit looked up at the call, smiling when he saw Cody, Rex and Ponds coming towards him.

“Cody, Rex, Ponds,” Kit greeted. “How can I be of assistance?” 

Rex looked at Cody and Ponds, hesitating slightly. 

“I hear you’re going to be near Saleucami,” Rex said carefully. Kit nodded, tilting his head curiously.

“Yes, I’m heading out that way,” Kit answered. Rex sighed, looking to Cody and Ponds apologetically.

“You know how we’ve got the frequency sorted out?” Rex asked. “And that we’re trying to make sure all brothers hear it?”

“Most of the clones have,” Ponds informed Kit, sounding relieved. "Only a few battalions in battle or out of comm range haven't listened yet."

“Yes, I’m well aware of that, Rex,” Kit answered, confused, unsure where Rex was going with this. 

“W-Well, on Saleucami, there’s a clone there,” Rex explained, wincing as he saw Ponds and Cody look at him with disbelieving eyes. “The transport he was on, shortly after Geonosis, was attacked by Separatist ships and crashed. All on board were dead or severely wounded and the droids were coming through to finish them off…so he ran,” Rex continued, seeing Kit was surprised. “He now lives on Saleucami…with his family.”

“A deserter, Rex?” Kit asked, surprised. “Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

“Because he has a family now,” Rex answered quietly. “He has a wife and two kids, who he adopted as his own.”

Kit nodded. “Why are you telling me, Rex?”

“I-I was hoping that you could get the frequency to him,” Rex said, looking up at Kit worriedly. “He has a family now…I-I mean, what if whoever it was gave the order and he heard it? He could hurt himself or his family.”

Kit nodded again, smiling warmly at him. “Well, we can’t let that happen now, can we? He has a family he needs to look after.”

“Will you bring him back, General Fisto?” Ponds asked, gaining a shocked look from Rex.

“No, Ponds,” Kit said, resting a reassuring hand on Rex’s shoulder. “This clone has a family, he’s made a life for himself – which is something we wish for you all. If he survived that horrible situation, then he deserves to have his own life, his freedom.”

Ponds gave a nod, giving Rex a small smile. Kit turned back to Rex.

“Now, what’s his name and where can I find him?”

Rex smiled warmly at Kit, relieved. “His name is Cut Lawquane and he has a farm on Saleucami. I can send you the rough location of the farm.” 

“I’ll try make a stop there,” Kit told Rex, gently squeezing his shoulder. “Now, I need to go plan this deployment.”

Rex, Cody and Ponds watched him go. 

“Rex,” Cody said slowly, making Rex flinch as he turned to face his unamused brothers. “Why didn’t you tell us you met a deserter?”

Rex sighed, looking to them. “I know what you think,” Rex said slowly, “but you didn’t see him and his family. I knew if I told you, you were have told your Generals…and I didn’t want Cut to be taken from his family, not when they need him.”

Cody sighed, looking to Ponds, who gave a small shrug. 

“This was when you were shot, wasn’t it?” Ponds asked, looking back to Rex. Rex nodded.

“His wife, Suu, let Kix treat me in their barn and their two kids came in a bit later, told me I looked just like their daddy,” Rex smiled. “Cut found me there later that night, knowing that the war had finally reached them, and then took me inside, made sure I ate…and then we fought side by side when the kids accidentally activated a pod of commando droids.”

Cody sighed, giving Rex a small smile. “Well, maybe once I would have been angry at Cut for leaving, for wanting a family…but I understand him now.”

Rex looked up at Cody in surprise. Cody just smiled at him and pulled him close. 

“Come on, Rex’ika,” Cody murmured. “We’re going to go help Windu get ready to face the Senate.”

 

Cut Lawquane sat at the table, smiling as he watched his two kids eat their breakfast. Suu smiled at him from across the table. 

Life had been good lately.

The droids hadn’t come back, the harvest had been good and the kids’ bellies were full. 

Cut lifted his head, frowning and looking towards the window as his sharp hearing picked up the sounds of engines.

“Cut?” Suu asked as Cut stood up. “Cut, what is it?”

“Stay here,” he told them as he stood, walking towards the crooked window and peering out of it. He sighed when he saw a familiar build of ship land on the outside of the field.

It had been years since he had seen a larty…but he should have known this day would come.

“Cut?” Suu questioned again as she held the kids close to her. Cut turned to look at them, trying to smile reassuringly.

“I’ll go see what they want,” he said, “but don’t come out with the gun, Suu, they wouldn’t respond well to that.”

Cut walked to the door and headed outside, seeing a lone Nautolan Jedi approaching his home. He met the Jedi a few feet away from his front door, glancing around but not spotting any clones other than the one standing by the larty, keeping an eye on them.

“I wasn’t expecting this day to come so soon,” Cut said in lieu of greeting. He wasn’t expecting the large grin on the Nautolan’s face.

“Ah, it’s not that day,” the Jedi told him. “I am Jedi Master Kit Fisto,” he introduced himself. “And I believe you must be Cut Lawquane?”

Cut blinked, unsure of how he knew his name.

“Daddy!” Cut winced, turning around to catch Shaeeah and hug her close, the young blue and pink Twi’lek hugging his leg tightly. Cut glanced around, seeing Suu standing nearby, holding onto Jek tightly. 

Kit Fisto smiled and crouched down to Shaeeah’s level. “Hello there, little one.”

“Are you going to take my daddy?” Shaeeah whimpered. Kit shook his head.

“No, little one, I came because one of your…uncles was worried about him.” 

Cut stared at Kit in surprise as Kit stood back up, smiling at Cut. 

“W-Who?” Cut stammered.

“Rex,” Kit replied gently. “We’ve discovered something, which I won’t go into for you and your family’s safety…but Rex was worried about you.”

Kit dug around in his pocket, pulling out a comm. Cut tilted his head as he heard a slightly pitched tone before staggering slightly as a sharp headache bloomed in his temple, though it only lasted seconds.

“What did you do?!” Suu cried out as she rushed forward. 

“It was nothing to hurt him,” Kit reassured them. “This was only to save his life…and to make sure he remains free.”

“Free?” Cut gasped as the pain faded, leaving an ache behind. “Free of what?”

Kit sighed, looking at him. “A chip that would override your free will,” he admitted, though he hated having to say it, he knew Cut deserved to know. “We only just discovered it, thanks to Rex and Cody, and have just discovered how to destroy it without surgically removing it.”

“A-And Rex sent you to help me?” Cut asked, shocked. Kit smiled warmly.

“He was worried about you and your family,” Kit told him gently. “So he asked me to come to you, which I was more than happy to do…after all, we don’t want to split up a family now, do we?”

Cut smiled thankfully as he rested his hand on Shaeeah’s head. “Thank you,” he said quietly. 

“W-Would you like to stay for breakfast?” Suu asked as she clung onto Cut’s arm. 

“Thank you for the offer, but I am afraid this was just a quick stop,” Kit said, smiling. “I need to get back to my men.” 

“Thank you, General,” Cut said gratefully, knowing that the Jedi could have taken him back to face desertion charges, which would have meant he’d be reconditioned. 

“You found a family, Cut,” Kit told him gently, “we would never split you apart. We’re pleased that you found your freedom, which is something we’re working on for your brothers.”

Kit gave a small bow and turned to walk back to the larty where Monnk was waiting before he paused. He dug around in his robes again, finding a spare comm he had brought, just having a feeling. He turned back to Cut, smiling as he saw the family together and held it out.

“I had a feeling you might want this,” Kit said carefully. “It’s programmed with a frequency to contact Rex – he needs all the support he can get at the moment.”

Cut looked up at that, frowning worriedly as he took the comm. “Is he okay?”

“Not really,” Kit admitted sadly, “though he is getting better. He and Cody suffered through an ordeal they shouldn’t have. He was forced to be a slave and was… _abused_ for several months until we located them,” Kit said, keeping it vague but emphasising it, knowing Cut would understand.

Cut’s golden eyes saddened as he looked at the comm. “Oh.”

“Contact him, tell him how your kids are going,” Kit said, smiling. “I think he would love to hear about it.”

“I-I will…and thank you,” Cut said sincerely. Kit inclined his head, winking at the younglings who grinned back at him, before he headed back to Monnk, feeling more at ease now that Cut was cleared from the chip’s influence…and knowing he was safe and loved with his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow, thank you for all of the comments last chapter, it really meant a lot...so you get a nice long chapter as thanks!
> 
> Think of Helix's voice as a David Attenborough impression if that also helps :D
> 
> Back into action next chapter I believe :P


	36. The Senate

Windu stood in front of the Senate building, sighing as he looked upon it. It was the day of the hearing and Windu found himself wishing that Kenobi, hells…even _Skywalker_ were here to support him. A hand rested on his shoulder, giving a small, reassuring squeeze. Windu looked around, giving a small, thankful smile to Ponds, who nodded, golden brown eyes reassuring as he stared back.

“We’re going to get through this, Mace,” Ponds murmured as they both looked back to the Senate building.

“Ponds is right.”

Windu turned in surprise at that voice, watching as Plo came to a stop beside him as Wolffe went to stand beside Ponds, gently digging an elbow into Ponds’s side. Ponds responded in kind by pulling Wolffe into a headlock and scrubbing his knuckles against Wolffe’s head with his free hand. 

“Wolffe, no biting,” Plo warned, having seen Wolffe open his mouth over Ponds’s forearm, primed to bite down. Ponds quickly let go of Wolffe at that, not wanting to tempt his little brother into biting him. Wolffe pouted at Plo as he fixed up his hair.

“But, _Buir_ ,” Wolffe almost whined, gaining a chuckle from Plo and surprised looks from Senators as they passed.

“You can get Ponds back after the hearing,” Windu said, smirking. Ponds looked to Windu, eyes wide in shock.

“Mace!” he gasped, betrayed. “You’d let Wolffe get me back? What if he bites me?”

“I know not to stand in the way of _vode_ ,” Windu replied easily, smiling as Ponds looked at him, betrayed. Windu sighed as he looked back to the Senate building, hearing a chime ring out.

“Come, we should get ready,” Windu told them. Plo, Wolffe and Ponds followed Windu into the Senate building, walking down the ornate hallways and passing Senators, many of whom smiled and greeted the quartet. 

“You didn’t tell me what you were doing here,” Windu said suddenly, looking to Plo. 

“Well, since Obi-Wan can’t be here, I thought I’d come and support you,” Plo replied simply. “I know Bant is already here with the Senators…but you know I have a different relationships with the clones and if that helps us…” Plo trailed off, looking to Wolffe, who smiled sadly at his _Buir_

Windu nodded thoughtfully, glancing to Ponds, who was walking on his left and chuckling softly as he saw Ponds was still sulking. He gently nudged Ponds with his elbow, gaining a look.

“Stop the pouting,” Windu teased quietly, just for him to hear, as they walked down the halls. 

“Not pouting,” Ponds grumbled in response.

“I wouldn’t let Wolffe bite you…maybe chase you around a bit, but I wouldn’t let him bite you,” Windu reassured him. Ponds gave a small grin at that, nudging Windu back. 

“You’ll protect me?” Ponds asked teasingly, his golden brown eyes playful. Windu smiled at him.

“Always, Ponds,” Windu promised. Ponds grinned at that, almost bouncing along now as they approached their pod station. Wolffe rolled his eyes fondly as he saw Ponds practically bouncing, all happy now. Plo glanced at Wolffe, seeing the small, fond smile on his face as he saw how happy Ponds was. He knew Wolffe had been a bit flat since Echo had been sent back out with the 501st. 

“Master Windu, Master Plo,” Plo pulled his attention away from Wolffe at the voice, seeing Bant standing in front of their pod station with Senators Amidala and Organa. 

“Bant,” Windu greeted as he stopped in front of her. “Senator Amidala, Senator Organa.”

“Are you ready to face the akks?” Bail asked with a sympathetic smile. 

“As ready as we’ll ever be,” Windu said, looking to Ponds, who nodded reassuringly. Bail looked over the four of them, seeing the two Jedi Masters, looking calm, though Bail could see the slight worry in Windu’s eyes. 

No way of knowing what Master Plo was feeling of course.

Ponds and Wolffe were standing side by side, both of them in their officer’s greys so the Senate could see their faces. They would definitely see Wolffe’s cybernetic eye replacement and the large scar, showing the Senate just what injuries these boys were facing. 

“The session will be starting soon,” Padme spoke up. “There are a few motions and issues in front of you, Master Windu, but it gives us some time to breathe and prepare ourselves.”

“I’ll be in my pod, but I’ll be supporting you and will speak up if you need me,” Bail said, gently clapping Windu’s shoulder, who nodded and gave a thankful smile in return. 

“Thank you…for all your help,” Windu said sincerely. Bail’s smile just got bigger.

“It was my pleasure,” Bail replied. “Now let’s hope the Senate is in a good mood today, though from what I overheard earlier, your latest video with the cuddle pile – I believe it’s called? – has softened a lot of hearts.”

Windu blinked in surprise at that, looking to Ponds, who inclined his head with a smile. Bail patted his shoulder once more before he headed off to his own pod, while the Jedi, the clones and Padme entered the Naboo one. 

Windu settled down to wait, watching as Padme listened intently to the other issues. 

It was kind of her to share Naboo’s pod with the Jedi since the Jedi didn’t have their own, as they did not want to see to be interfering or influencing politics. They were meant to be neutral and help those who needed it, though they would never help those seeking to hurt others. 

He knew that the Jedi did share a closeness with the Naboo, especially Skywalker and Kenobi, since they helped when the Senate wouldn’t during the Battle of Naboo. 

Windu blinked, looking to Ponds as Ponds gently nudged him. Ponds gave a small smile and handed him the datapad.

“Thought you might want to see this before this circus starts,” Ponds murmured in his ear. Windu took the datapad from him, smiling slightly when he saw it was their holo channel and it was on their latest upload, which was the recording that Helix made of the cuddle pile. 

He scrolled down to the comments, smiling as he read them.

_\- This is the cutest thing ever!_  
- _I never realised how close the Jedi and the clones were_  
\- _Aw, they all love their commander/Padawan!_  
\- _The clones really worry about their Jedi, don’t they?_  
\- _Cuddle pile! How cute!_  
\- _Helix is really funny, they should get him to do the voice-over for nature documentaries_.  
\- _They all love each other!_  
\- _I didn’t realise how close the clones were until you started this video. They all really care and love each other…and their Jedi of course._  
\- _I never realised how much both the Jedi and clones cared for and respected each other. I hope this war finishes soon so they don’t need to lose each other anymore._

Windu sighed as he read that comment. 

He wished that this war would end soon also. He was tired of losing clones, of losing friends; tired of having to bury fallen Jedi – only those whose bodies they’d managed to retrieve of course – and losing Jedi who could no longer take the darkness, either choosing to end their own lives or falling into the dark themselves. 

Windu looked back to Ponds, handing back the datapad with a small smile and nod. Ponds gave a small, reassuring smile back as he took the datapad, attaching it to his belt.

“It’s time,” Padme’s voice murmured. Windu nodded, breathing in and releasing his fears to the Force, before he stood up, guiding the pod out into the main area as the Chancellor announced the motion. 

Windu closed his eyes for a moment, calming and mentally preparing himself. He felt a warm weight just behind his right shoulder, the familiar Force presence soothing and reassuring him. Windu opened his eyes, comforted and emboldened with Ponds standing by his side.

“Members of the Senate,” Windu spoke up. “Today I come before you, as a member of a Jedi and as a High General of the Republic, to present two motions today. The first is for the welfare and care of the clones, the ones who live to fight for the Republic…and who often die for it…clones like Commander Ponds and Commander Wolffe, who are here with me today.” 

Ponds stood up straighter as eyes went to him. 

“The evidence I have of the clones being abused by GAR personal, of clones being wrongfully decommissioned is quite overwhelming,” Windu continued calmly. “This is why myself and my fellow Jedi are petitioning you today for you to vote for the clones to be put under our care. After all, we are the ones who fight with them, who live beside them and die next to them.” 

“What evidence do you have of this?” one of the Senators spoke up curiously. Windu turned to Ponds, who handed Windu a datastick with a nod. Windu took it from him, plugging it into the console. 

Ponds stiffened as he watched holo after holo of clones being abused. His hands gripped into fists as he watched a panicked Tup being forced into a metal seat and bound to it…just because of his _hair_. 

“Trooper Tup was not breaking any regulations,” Windu spoke up as the holo continued to play, showing Obi-Wan entering the office now and rescuing Tup, who quickly hid behind the Jedi. “The regulations only state that the troopers must have their hair hidden by their helmet once it is on. Tup always has his hair done up when he’s on duty, so he was not breaking any regulations. His hair is one of the few things that belongs just to him and he is quite proud of it, so he wouldn’t break regulations.”

The holo continued as the Admiral stormed out of the room, showing Tup burying his face into the back of Obi-Wan’s robes as Obi-Wan hid the trembling trooper behind him. 

The holo finished, a low murmuring rising up in the Senate before it hushed as another holo started playing. 

Ponds barely kept from snarling as he saw it was of Cody. Windu moved slightly so he could press his side against Ponds, trying to reassure him. 

Ponds kept his eyes fixed on the holo, watching as Cody stood before the Admiral, head bowed and submissive. Ponds flinched as a sound of a slap rang out across the silent Senate hall and watched as Cody fell to his knees. The Admiral was screaming at him, which Cody just took, head bowed. Ponds turned his head away, trembling, as the Admiral began laying into his little brother. He could hear Wolffe growling lowly from behind him.

“ _Please…stop_ ,” Cody’s weak voice begged from the holo. 

“ _What did you say?_ ” the Admiral snarled. “ _I told you to remain silent, clone! Can you cursed clones not follow a simple order?!_ ”

There was a yelp and Ponds closed his eyes, barely hearing Windu’s reassuring murmur in his ear over the rush of blood through his ears.

“ _I-I’m sorry_ ,” Cody’s voice coughed hoarsely as though he was winded. “ _I-I don’t know what I did! I just suggested a new plan to General Kenobi!_ ”

“ _You should be seen and not heard,_ ” the Admiral sneered. “ _The Jedi is a fool, he’s a bleeding heart, thinking that **you** know better than **me**_!”

The holo cut out after another hoarse cry from Cody.

“That was Cody,” Windu’s voice spoke up as Ponds swallowed thickly, looking back towards the Senate dome. “His old Admiral abused him terribly as you could see.”

“Was the clone disrespecting him?” a voice asked sneeringly. 

“No!” Ponds snapped, looking over the Senate dome with fiery eyes, daring any one of them to argue with him against that. “Cody would never disrespect the chain of command. He’s one of the best there is.”

Windu nodded in agreement. “Commander Ponds is correct,” he said calmly. “The situation that led the Admiral to abuse Cody in this instance was because then Captain Cody suggested another plan to General Kenobi for their upcoming battle. Kenobi agreed it was a good plan, one that would reduce casualties, so he ordered the plans be changed to incorporate the new plan. Kenobi confirmed this once I questioned him about it.”

“Did General Kenobi know he was being abused?” a Senator asked.

Windu gave a small nod. “Yes, but shortly after this General Kenobi was called away and then captured by the assassin Asajj Ventress. Once he was freed and back, he transferred Captain Cody to his battalion, promoting him to Commander Cody and made a complaint against the Admiral. However the Admiral and his battalion was killed a week after Commander Cody was transferred,” Windu said, eyes sweeping over the Senate. “It turned out Cody was only one keeping them alive with his plans.” 

“Cody was one of the two clones kidnapped and abused for several months, wasn’t he?” 

Windu looked around, seeing Senator Chuchi’s pod. He gave a nod.

“Yes, he was,” Windu said simply, folding his hands into his sleeves and looking like the calm Jedi Master.

“One that the high command of the GAR refused to go after?” Senator Chuchi continued. Windu’s eyes flickered to Palpatine, seeing he had stiffened.

“Yes.”

“But the Jedi refused to give up on them?”

“We knew we had to be careful how we searched for them,” Windu explained, “but, no, we never gave up on them. Cody and Rex are two of the best minds, two of the best soldiers we have. They care for their men, for their _brothers_. They do their best to get through every battle swiftly, efficiently and with the least loss of life possible.”

“Are they still Commanders?” a Senator asked curiously.

“No,” Windu answered regretfully, glancing at Ponds. “The GAR wrote them off as Killed in Action. They are also both still recovering from the abuse, so they are not field ready. However, they both still do their best to help their brothers and the Republic by going over battle plans.”

“Commander Ponds,” Ponds startled as Chuchi spoke to him.

“Yes, Senator?”

“You are close with both Cody and Rex, correct?” 

“They are my original squad-mates,” Ponds answered respectfully. “We trained, ate, slept, bled, cried, laughed and grew up together when we were cadets on Kamino. We…we were close, we looked out for each other on Kamino and we’re still close today.”

“And how did you feel when the order was given to stop searching for them?”

Ponds looked to Windu, who inclined his head and gave a small reassuring smile. Ponds took in a breath, remembering all the emotions that ran through him when Mace had told him that Palpatine had ordered them to abandon Cody and Rex. He remembered the pure fury that lit him up before it was replaced by fear of never seeing his brothers again. He remembered the way his heart ached when he thought of telling Wolffe and Bly that their baby brothers were gone, that the Senate had given up on them. He remembered the way his stomach rolled and his throat burned as he realised that they were _nothing_ to the Senate except for meat-droids. That was when the dry anger and fury had crept through him once again.

“I was horrified, heartbroken and furious,” Ponds answered truthfully. “Cody and Rex gave so much for the Republic, for their brothers, and then they were just abandoned…and it got worse once we received the footage of them being hurt, seeing them enslaved…and still, they were deemed to be not worth the effort. I-It hurt us to see our most esteemed brothers, ones who worked so hard, who made it to levels they were never meant to, be pushed aside like that.”

Senator Chuchi nodded her head, giving a small smile. “Thank you, Commander Ponds.”

“Going on the clones being written off,” Windu said, nodding to Ponds, who nodded back thankfully and stepped back. Wolffe reached up to gently nudge Ponds’s side, gaining a small smile from him. Ponds focused back to Windu as Windu rattled off the figures on the clones being decommissioned.

“The clones fight for the Republic and get seriously wounded for it,” Windu said. “Some wounds the Republic are willing to pay for, such as Commander Wolffe’s eye here, though that took some convincing from Master Plo.” 

Wolffe looked around, giving the Senate ample time to look at him. Plo rested a hand on his shoulder protectively, making Wolffe look up at him and smile.

“Others were not so lucky,” Windu continued. “Brave soldiers who lost legs, who lost arms, were deemed not worth the money and time…so, they were slated for decommissioning by the GAR and were ordered to be returned to Kamino so they could be destroyed.”

Shocked silence fell in the Senate.

“However, as Jedi, as protectors of life, we couldn’t allow that,” Windu spoke up. “So when we could, we made those clones slated for decommissioning disappear.”

Silence again.

“You had no right to do that!” the Kaminoan Senator spoke up angrily. “They were meant to come to Kamino!”

“They were being sent there to be destroyed as though they were broken toys,” Windu said in disgust. “They were being sent there to be killed, so why did it matter if we sent them elsewhere? The GAR already wrote them off, it wasn’t like we were stealing able-bodied soldiers from them.”

“What has happened to them?” Senator Fredericks asked curiously.

“We sent them to allies of ours,” Windu stated simply. “There, they were given prosthetics if able, or if not, they were given items to help them get around, such as crutches or hoverchairs.”

“And what do they do now?”

“They protect our allies and are able to find hobbies that suit them, to help them rehabilitate and recover from their injuries,” Windu explained, selecting a file and bringing up a holo of a clone with a metal, prosthetic leg. It was old fashioned, nothing like the new limbs that people who could afford it could get, but it allowed the clone to get around. 

“This is Ticker, once a trooper from the 212th,” Windu introduced. “He lost his leg as he helped the GAR take back Ryloth. It was also deemed that he was not ‘worth’ getting a prosthetic, that it was too expensive, so he was labelled for decommissioning. We sent him elsewhere, now he helps protect those we sent him to and he’s also discovered a knack for gardening, so he also helps to keep his protectors fed as well.”

“How would the Jedi deal with clones who were injured in such a way?” Senator Yuriarto asked. “The Republic can’t afford high grade prosthetics, ones that will allow the clones to return to the battlefield, for all of those injured. What would you do with those?”

“We would find them new roles,” Windu said simply. “Whether it be helping to plan battles, or letting them teach their younger brothers and Jedi younglings, or teaching them to be medics, or even finding them roles within society to help others.”

“And the prosthetics?”

“The Jedi will take over that aspect,” Windu said calmly. “It may not all be high tech and we may not be able to replace the limb at some times, but we can give them other options and rehabilitate them that way.” 

“Why do you care for them?” a Senator asked, though Windu couldn’t locate who said it. He looked around as he felt Plo stand and nodded, standing aside, letting Plo answer this.

“I am Master Plo Koon,” Plo introduced himself. “I am General of the 104th Battalion, though we are known by our more colourful moniker of ‘The Wolf Pack.” 

Wolffe kept his eyes on his General, heart thudding in his chest. He could feel something was coming, something that was making his heart beat quicker than it should.

“You ask why we care for them…if we care for them,” Plo continued calmly, “and the answer is one and the same. We do care for them because we live, fight and die beside them. We’ve come to know each other, to depend on one another, and, yes, some Jedi have formed bonds with them. Whether the clones become friends or even family to us.”

Plo paused for a moment. 

_‘I am sorry, Wolffe,’_ he thought, knowing Wolffe would hear him. Wolffe straightened up slightly as he heard Plo’s words, frowning at them. _‘I did want to tell you and your brothers myself once everything was confirmed…but I can’t have the Senate doubting how much I care for you.’_

“Speaking for myself, I have found a family within the clones,” Plo continued. “It was something I never thought would happen, but after losing all but three of my men to Grievous and the _Malevolence_ , and after almost losing Wolffe to Ventress…well, I came to realise that I cared for them. They are boys,” Plo said softly. “They may look like men and act like it, but part of them inside still has a childish innocence, even despite having no childhood. I have become quite attached to them and care for them greatly…and there are four of them who mean the Galaxy to me.”

Wolffe sat up straighter, eyes wide as he stared as his _Buir_. Padme reached over and clasped his hand, squeezing it comfortingly.

“Commander Wolffe, Boost and Sinker were the only three who survived the _Malevolence_ with myself…and young Comet joined us later and quickly wormed his way into our hearts,” Plo continued, speaking with fondness that Wolffe knew he was smiling under his mask. “To me they are not clones, they are not soldiers…no, to me they are my sons and I plan to adopt them once they have their rights.”

Wolffe made a small startled noise in his throat at that revelation and Ponds rested his hand on Wolffe’s shoulder. The Senate was loud as they all chattered at that revelation. 

“They are my sons and they regard me as their father figure or _Buir_ as they call me,” Plo continued, his words silencing the Senate chamber. “I want to see them, and all of their brothers, be taken care of and have their rights. So, yes, we care for them because we _know_ them and we’ve lived, laughed, suffered, bled and mourned together. **That** is why.”

Plo stepped back at that, looking at Wolffe who got to his feet. Plo rested his hands on Wolffe’s shoulder, talons gently squeezing as Wolffe gripped Plo’s forearms. 

“R-Really?” Wolffe choked. “Y-You want us?”

“Of course, my son,” Plo murmured. Wolffe shifted forward so he was pressing his forehead against Plo’s, throat tightening and eye burning as he struggled to hold back the relieved, shocked tears, not wanting to cry in front of the Senate.

There was a murmur as the Senators spoke to the others in their pods. 

Windu hoped it would be enough, though he knew that this session was being broadcast and there probably would be an uproar if the Senate voted against it. 

“This will be voted on later,” Chancellor Palpatine finally spoke up. “Send the evidence to the others so they can review it.”

Windu nodded and sent out everything he had to the other Senator pods. 

“Now for the second motion,” Palpatine drawled. “The Jedi pulling back from the Senate.”

Windu stepped back to the front of the podium. 

“The Jedi will be stepping back from the Senate,” Windu announced. “We will still fight for the Republic and lead the clones, but there are ways in which we will be stepping back.”  
Windu let them chatter for a moment.

“For one, the Jedi have been told where to go by the Senate, told where we can and cannot help,” Windu explained. “There have been times when Senators have come up to me and demanded to know why we couldn’t help them. The reason is simple in most cases…we never knew.”

“We’re not told about all requests, only the ones deemed important by certain members of the Senate, and sometimes the ones who got pushed back were the most important,” Windu continued. “With the Jedi stepping back, we will be forming our own council where the requests will be sent and filtered through. We will send Jedi to assist to those who _truly_ need our help, not because of their position in the Republic or the wealth or benefits they bring.”

“We live to serve the Republic and recently it feels like we’ve been failing that,” he said regretfully. “Yes, we will still go where the war takes us, but for those who need our help, we do have Knights in the Temple who don’t have a battalion, who can’t fight in the war, but who can still help you.”

Windu straightened up once more, looking around the Senate.

“Members of the Senate,” Windu announced. “I’ve presented two motions to you today on behalf of the Jedi order. One for the safety and wellbeing of our clones and the other will be the Jedi stepping back from the Senate so we can help the Republic. I leave this heavy decision in your hands.”

Windu stepped back, breathing in as he sat down heavily in the chair. Ponds gently squeezed his knee.

“You did great, Mace,” he murmured. “You did great.”

“Is it enough though?” Windu muttered, fingers clawing into his robe at the thigh in agitation. 

He couldn’t bear to lose the clones, to see them punished for just being who they truly are. 

Windu looked up as Palpatine called the end of the session so the vote on the clones and the Jedi’s future could be made. He looked to Bant, who he didn't need to call upon, and she gave him a reassuring smile as she stood, turning to Padme. 

He sighed as he leaned back against the chair, feeling drained.

He could only hope that the Senators would do what was right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to split this into two chapters...but I thought I'd leave you with the cliffhanger instead :P


	37. The Result

Palpatine sat at his podium, cold eyes flickering over the different Senatorial pods as they began to be filled once again. He had called a two hour recess to the session so the evidence could be looked over by the Senators before the vote.

He grudgingly had to admit, once he looked over the evidence, that that infuriating Windu had come up with quite solid arguments and evidence of mistreatment of the clones.  
He had hoped that without the support of Kenobi and Skywalker that Windu would flail, but he had held his own. The proclamation from Plo Koon about the Wolf Pack didn’t help either.

Palpatine barely held back a sneer at that.

_Adoption. Sons. Family._

It made him sick. Such weakness.

Palpatine stood up to speak to the Senate once more, telling them to consider _all_ of the facts and sides before they made their vote. He then opened the voting and sat back down, watching the screen before him. 

His nails dug into his thighs, fury pulsing through him, as he watched the percentage for ‘YES’ steadily rise in the Jedi’s favour. 

Palpatine took in a breath, reinforcing his shielding. He couldn’t allow the two Master Jedi, plus that Healer, in the room to sense his fury, to think something is wrong. 

Palpatine sat back as he watched the votes for both motions steadily rise in the Jedi’s favour.

As Chancellor, he could veto this and stop it in his tracks, but he knew it would cause suspicion and cause the Republic to turn on him even more, which was something he couldn’t afford. He needed to remain in power for his plans to work. 

If the Republic saw him shoot down this motion for the clones wellbeing, he knew he’d have a revolt on his hands…especially with that damn holo channel that the Jedi and clones had made which had become so popular. 

Palpatine gave a small frown, considering his options before he smirked slightly. 

The console in front of him beeped with the final results and he stood up, a hush falling across the Senate. 

“The motions have passed,” he announced. “The Jedi are now in charge of the clones wellbeing and welfare. They are also approved to pull back from the Senate and form their own committee regarding requests from members of the Republic.”

A cheer went up as Palpatine sat back down.

Yes, it was infuriating to have the Jedi wiggle their way out of his control slightly, though he was still in charge of them when it came to where to send them for the war.   
However, the clones being under the Jedi’s care could be useful.

He couldn’t help the small gleeful smirk as he thought of when the time came to activate order 66. He could just see the Jedi’s shocked and betrayed faces as the ones they cared for, the ones they fought for, the ones they _loved_ , suddenly turned on them.

Revenge would be sweet.

 

Ponds laughed and pulled Wolffe into a tight hug as they exited into the hallway, feeling lighter and almost downright gleeful after the vote.

He still couldn’t believe it! 

They were under the Jedi’s care now. Now, there would be less brothers being killed for no reason, less brothers being abused and broken. 

Ponds let go Wolffe, after giving him a fond knuckling to the skull, before he turned to Mace and grinned. Mace returned it, though he looked a little shocked. Ponds glanced at Wolffe, who was hugging Plo. Plo had an arm wrapped around him and was stroking the back of his hair comfortingly. 

Ponds barely bit back a sigh.

At least Wolffe and Plo could show affection in public now, since Plo declared to the Republic that he planned on adopting Wolffe. 

Ponds couldn’t have that just yet. Even though he was probably safe from being reconditioned because of who he loved, he knew Mace would face scrutiny if it came out that he had formed a relationship with his commander.

“This is great,” Bant said, grabbing Ponds attention. Bant was smiling broadly as he looked to Mace and Padme. “I’m going to go back to the Temple and start writing up plans for clones who have been slated for decommissioning and for clones who need help from Mind Healers.”

Mace nodded, giving a fond smile. Bant looked to Padme, smiling once more, before she headed off. 

Ponds turned his head, wincing slightly, before quickly looking back to Mace, his face smoothing in an even mask, though Mace could see the discomfort and disgust in Ponds's golden brown eyes.

“Incoming,” he muttered. Mace straightened up, looking around to see Palpatine coming towards them, flanked by Fox and members of his guard. 

“Ah, Master Jedi,” Palpatine greeted. “Congratulations on your victory.”

Mace inclined his head. “Thank you, Chancellor. It was something long overdue for our brave clones.”

“Yes, we must have a meeting to discuss and write up the contract for the Jedi pulling back from the Senate and also for everything they are taking over in regards to the clones care,” Palpatine said. “But that is for another day, of course.”

“Of course,” Windu echoed. Palpatine nodded before he smiled genially. 

“Well, I must be going. I have a busy day planned now,” Palpatine said.

“Have a good day, Chancellor,” Windu said. He watched as Palpatine started to move away but tilted his head in confusion as he watched Fox stay behind, pulling his helmet off so he could meet his brothers’ eyes.

“Commander Fox,” Palpatine’s voice said sharply as he noticed Fox had remained. “What is it?”

“I just wanted to speak to my brothers, Chancellor,” Fox said carefully. Palpatine’s eyes narrowed.

“Oh, what about?”

Fox looked to Wolffe, giving him an apologetic look. “I wanted to congratulate Wolffe,” he said. “I had heard that he had asked his partner to perform the _riduurok_ with him…so, his engagement,” Fox explained as he saw the blank look on Palpatine’s face. 

Palpatine gave a thin smile, one that didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

“Yes, of course,” he said, before he continued on. Fox shook his head as Palpatine disappeared from sight.

“I’m not even assigned to him today anyway,” Fox muttered bitterly. “I was only with him because I came across him as I came to find you.”

Wolffe just glared at him, arms folded across his broad chest. “And you had to tell him about Echo?”

“Hey, I didn’t say who you were with,” Fox retorted as he tucked his bucket under his arm. “And I knew he wouldn’t stay if I said it was about that.”

“Then what is it really about?” Ponds asked, looking to Mace and Plo. Padme stood nearby, watching them quietly. Fox glanced at his bucket for a moment, frowning, before he pulled out a small jammer and activated it.

“Can’t risk anyone overhearing,” he murmured. “I can’t let it get back to him.”

“Let what get back to him?” Mace asked quietly, looking around the now empty hallway.

“He’s angry,” Fox warned them. “Really angry.”

“What do you mean?” Plo asked curiously.

“I’ve been assigned to him long enough that I can read his moods,” Fox admitted. “And lately, he’s been fuming…and there’s always this fury and darkness burning in his eyes when he thinks he’s alone – well, because he doesn’t count us as actual people,” Fox said bitterly. “When I came across him, when he was speaking to you just then, he was acting all kind…but there’s a cold fury in his eyes. He’s angry with the decision…and he was furious when Master Drallig refused to send Rex and Cody to him, which I get,” he added quickly, seeing the looks on their faces. 

“I don’t want Rex and Cody to be left alone with him, not after what they went through, because I just know he’ll use them to get back at you for defying his orders.”

Ponds exchanged a surprised look with Wolffe. 

Fox had never been fond of Rex and he and Cody were at each other’s throats when they had been at Kamino because of the way he treated Rex. 

But to hear him want to protect them from the Chancellor…well, Ponds just smiled, relaxing.

It was good to know some brothers could change, though he had retained some sort of friendship with Fox anyway, but now Wolffe could see that Fox wasn’t bad and didn’t have a stick completely up his _shebs_.

“They’re safe as long as they’re in the Temple,” Mace assured him. “But we’ll keep a closer eye on them…and on him as well.”

Fox nodded, sighing slightly in relief. 

“Good…thank you, General,” Fox added hastily. “I’m glad you’ve taken over our care, I know how much you care for us – I saw it when you went after Rex and Cody, and I saw it when you protected them and Ponds both…so thank you.”

Ponds smiled at him, shifting so he could nudge Fox with his shoulder. “Come to the Temple for drinks soon, yeah?” he asked quietly. 

Fox smiled and gave a nod. “Sounds like a plan,” he agreed. “But I need to go, I’ve got guard duty with one of the Senators.”

“Have fun,” Wolffe said, causing Fox to snort.

“Doubt it with this one,” Fox muttered, grinning at Wolffe, before he placed his bucket back on and deactivated the jammer. Fox went to walk away before he paused, looking back.

“And, Wolffe, I did mean it,” Fox said, causing Wolffe to frown in confusion. “I meant my congratulations sincerely. You and Echo are good for each other.”

Wolffe inclined his head thankfully and Fox nodded once more before he headed off.

“Huh,” Wolffe murmured thoughtfully as he came to stand beside Ponds. “He’s not an asshole anymore.”

Ponds snorted as he elbowed Wolffe. “Hey, people change.”

“Guess that’s true,” Wolffe retorted with a playful grin. Ponds just pulled him back into a headlock again.

Padme watched as the two clones play-fought with each other as she moved closer to Windu and Plo.

“So Fox sees it too?” she murmured, remembering what Anakin had said about Palpatine seeming different. “He sees the changes?”

“Yes,” Plo replied quietly, thoughtfully. “It looks like he is beginning to lose control, to lose hold of his power.”

“I’m curious to know as to why it’s changing now and for what reason,” Mace responded quietly. “Something isn’t right here…but it’s elusive.”

Plo nodded in agreement. “Yes, I struggle to see anything when I’m in the Senate dome,” Plo said. “It’s clouded here, more so than anywhere else.”

Mace looked sharply at Plo at that. “You remember what Obi-Wan told us, after Geonosis?” he asked.

“Yes,” Plo said slowly, giving a small nod. “But perhaps we should discuss this back at the Temple where there is a chance we are not overheard.”

Padme looked in between the two of them. 

“What do you know?” she asked. “If this affects the safety of the Republic…”

“Yes, you should come along too, Senator,” Plo said as he looked at her, making Padme feel like he was studying her, before his voice gained a playful edge. “After all, you do know more than anyone…for certain reasons.”

Padme blushed at that and nodded, watching as Mace reached forward to snag the back of Ponds’s shirt, pulling the clone back with a yelp. Ponds turned to growl almost playfully at Mace, who returned the grin.

Padme saw the fondness in his gaze and the easiness in his smile as he looked to Ponds, both of them playfully bickering now, and remembered what Anakin had told them about those two…and she found herself agreeing.

She did believe they were more than General and Commander now…but it suited Mace. He didn’t look so serious and uncaring now. 

They headed back to the Temple, grabbing Bail on the way. 

 

Cody and Rex sat on the couch, eyes wide as they watched the broadcast from the Senate, waiting on the final vote. Rex took Cody’s hand, squeezing it tightly and Cody squeezed back, giving Rex a small, but nervous, smile. 

Cody breathed in deeply as he looked back to the broadcast, heart racing in his chest. He was scared. He was scared of what the results might be. 

Cody knew if they voted against the Jedi then the _vode_ could be in trouble, though the Jedi would do all they could to protect them from retaliation from certain members of the GAR. His stomach twisted at that thought, knowing that his brothers could be in danger now from those seeking revenge. 

Rex squeezed his hand again, giving a shaky breath. Cody looked to Rex, seeing the nervousness in his golden-brown eyes and knew Rex was having the exact same thoughts he was. 

Rex made a small noise in his throat as the broadcast showed Palpatine stand up to announce the results. Cody pushed in closer to Rex’s side, feeling his heart in his throat, all his nerves tingling as he sat ram-rod straight, body reacting to his stress. 

He wished Obi-Wan were here with them.

“O-Oh Gods!” Rex choked out as Palpatine announced the results. “Codes…Codes, our _vode_ are safe! N-No more brothers killed for being wounded! They’re safe!” 

Cody gave a rough sob as he turned around to pull Rex into his arms, holding him close. 

Relief spread through his body, making his limbs feel light and making him feel almost giddy as he held Rex close, tears rolling down his cheeks in warm rivers, which felt cleansing in a way. 

He knew this was just the start of things changing for the better.

Rex pulled back with a watery laugh as a chrono beeped. Cody watched as Rex got up and headed to the kitchen area, pulling a cake out of the oven and adding it to the collection of other slices and biscuits he made earlier. 

Cody smiled as he tilted his head, watching Rex. “Did you know this is what the result would be?” he teased lightly. “Is that why you made so much, to celebrate?”

Rex gave a small smile. “Part of it was stress baking,” he admitted quietly as he moved the cake to a rack to cool down. “I was so nervous about the results…but I thought either way, the food could be eaten as something to cheer them up if the Senate were idiots or for a small party if we won, which we did.”

Cody nodded as he stood up, walking to the kitchen and looking over the small piles of different foods.

“So, want some help to decorate it for the party then?” Cody asked with a grin. Rex grinned back, giving a nod, as he pushed a rack of cupcakes over to Cody. 

“You can ice these,” Rex instructed him, as he headed to the conservator to grab some premade icing. Cody raised an eyebrow at the colour.

“You don’t have any 212th gold, do you?” he teased. “I don’t want to eat 501st blue.”

Rex rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath, but turned back to grab another tube of plain icing and some gold food-dye.

“Such fuss,” Rex retorted with a grin. “501st blue is much prettier than 212th gold.”

Cody snorted, “Only in your dreams, Rex’ika.”

“Mix your own then,” Rex told him as he turned back to the other treats he had made.

“I will,” Cody grinned, watching as Rex laughed, shaking his head jovially, more carefree than he had been in a long while.

 

Obi-Wan, Anakin, Ghost and Torrent came to back to the Temple to find a party in full swing in Rex’s apartment. 

They had only heard about the vote once they had dropped out of hyperspace near Coruscant – though Obi-Wan had hoped they would be back in time for it, since the battles had been turning in their favour a lot easier these days.

Cody had grinned at him, amber eyes lighting up as Obi-Wan folded his beloved into his arms. Cody leaned down to kiss him soundly to the wolf-whistles of his brothers. Fox just stared for a moment before grinning and rolling his eyes and going back to talking to Ponds. 

Wolffe plucked Echo into his arms the moment he was in reach, nuzzling against him. Echo rested his forehead against Wolffe’s, smiling at him fondly as Wolffe rubbed his nose against Echo’s.

Fives bounced over to Rex, who was standing in the kitchen and assembling some more snacks for people. Rex looked up and smiled warmly at him, lifting an arm to invite Fives in. Fives wrapped his arms around Rex’s waist, pressing a kiss against his cheek.

“Missed you,” Fives murmured in his ear. Rex placed the food aside for now, turning to face Fives and wrapping his own arms around the cocky ARC.

“I missed you too,” Rex said quietly, smiling as Fives pressed another kiss to his jaw. Rex rested against Fives as Fives look around, seeing members of the Jedi Council there all conversing with one another with certain clones in there as well. Boost, Comet and Sinker were in attendance and were all hanging off Plo, keeping close. They had been so shocked as they watched the broadcast, hearing that Plo wanted to officially adopt them. 

Comet was currently curled around Plo’s leg as Plo sat on the couch, talking to Bail and Padme. Plo was idly stroking Comet’s hair as they spoke. Sinker was sitting beside Comet on the floor, eyes closed as he relaxed. 

“Everyone is so happy,” Fives murmured as he looked back to Rex. “I mean, they must be all full and sleepy from all this food you’ve cooked…but I think the vote has taken a burden off of their shoulders.”

Rex nodded in agreement as he looked around, a soft smile on his face.

“They are less worried about us now,” he admitted. “Sure, there’s still a lot to worry about, but now they don’t need to worry about making brothers slated for decommissioning and reconditioning disappear just for getting wounded. Now they can organise Mind Healers for us, so more brothers can get help and less brothers choose to march far away.”

“Things feel like they’re finally going to get better,” Fives admitted quietly, looking back to Rex. “Y-You know?”

Rex nodded, smiling as he hugged Fives closer. “Yeah, I know, Fives,” he murmured. 

Fives smiled as he looked to Rex. “Can I help you get more food ready?”

“Of course,” Rex laughed. “Don’t think you’re going to get food just for looking cute.”

Fives pouted at that. “But I’m absolutely adorable,” he countered with a cheeky glint in his eye. “And you love it.”

“I love _you_ ,” Rex chuckled, leaning in to kiss him quickly. “There’s a difference.”

“No there’s not,” Fives laughed as he gently elbowed Rex’s side playfully. 

“Less talking, more slicing,” Rex just said instead, gaining a sloppy, playful salute from Fives.

“Yes, sir!”

“Oh, be quiet you.”

 

Once everyone had slowly trickled away, back to the barracks or back to their own rooms, Rex’s apartment only had a few people left.

Obi-Wan, Anakin, Padme, Bail, Plo and Mace were sat in the lounge, with Cody, Rex, Fives, Ponds and Wolffe all sprawled out on the floor, leaning against legs or sitting on laps in Cody’s case. Cody had looked at the floor, seeing all of his brothers sprawled out before looking to Obi-Wan, who had smiled warmly at him. Cody had decided to sit on Obi-Wan's lap then, curling up with him, just wanting to be close to him.

Padme just smiled at Cody’s slight flush from where she was perched on Anakin’s lap. 

“So Fox gave that warning?” Obi-Wan asked, concerned. They had just been speaking of what had occurred in the Senate building and the warning that Fox had given. “Is there any reason for him to lie?”

“He wouldn’t lie about something like that,” Ponds said. “Not something that serious.”

“He may be an asshole, but I agree with Ponds,” Rex said as he shifted slightly, leaning more against Fives, who wrapped his arm around Rex’s waist, letting Rex lean more comfortably against him. 

Obi-Wan nodded, frowning slightly. 

“You were saying that Obi-Wan was given a warning at Geonosis,” Padme said, looking to Mace and Plo. “What was it?”

Obi-Wan met Plo’s and Mace’s gaze and sighed, looking towards Padme and Bail. 

“When I was captured on Geonosis, Dooku came to see me and to speak to me,” Obi-Wan explained. “He told me that the Senate was controlled by the Sith Master.”

Bail blinked, shocked. “What?!”

“I honestly didn’t know what to think about that, I was certain that we would be able to sense such a darkness…but with how things have gone, with how many Sith and acolytes there are, how many Jedi have fallen…I don’t believe that we could sense it anymore. I believe we are blinded to it,” Obi-Wan admitted quietly. Plo nodded in agreement as he stroked Wolffe’s hair.

“The darkness has grown for years now,” Plo explained to the shocked clones and Senators. “It was gradual, so we didn’t quite see it at the time, and by the time the shroud of it was too thick…well, it was too late for us.”

“But how could the Sith Master control the Senate?” Padme asked, horrified, looking to Anakin. Anakin just gently squeezed her hips in reassurance and a weak attempt at comforting her. 

“We’re looking into things,” Mace said slowly, carefully. “I’m sure you’ve realised that the Chancellor’s behaviour has gotten more erratic lately? Not just because of how he treats the clones, but the new policies and the new laws…it’s like a power grab.”

“You’re not saying it’s him?” Bail asked, eyes wide.

“We’re not saying that,” Mace quickly countered, “but we don’t know if he’s being influenced by the Sith.”

Bail ran a hand through his hair, alarmed by these revelations. “But…” Bail tried to say, but couldn’t quite find the right words.

“I don’t trust him anymore,” Anakin spoke up, voice soft and quiet, but still gaining everyone’s attention.

“Obi-Wan, Padme and Master Windu already know this,” Anakin continued, “but when Rex and Cody went missing, I went to speak to him like I usually do, like I’ve done since I was a kid, but something was _wrong_. He just kept pushing aside my concerns about Rex and Cody…and something was yelling at me to get my shields up, to reinforce them, that he wasn’t trustworthy – which I see more now.”

“What do you mean?” Bail asked gently, leaning forward as his brown eyes examined Anakin's face.

“I see now how he kept trying to turn me against Obi-Wan, my brother, and against the Jedi, saying they didn’t respect me, that they didn’t see how powerful I was…and I see now how he was trying to manipulate me!” Anakin burst out, eyes flashing. Padme gently turned on Anakin’s lap so she was sitting sidewards and pulled his head onto her chest, gently carding her hands through his brown waves lovingly and soothingly. 

“It’s all right, Ani,” Padme murmured. “We’ll figure it out.”

“I-I just trusted him,” Anakin’s voice said weakly. “I trusted him.”

Mace watched as Padme gently soothed Anakin, surprised that he felt thankful that the Senator was there. At first he was shocked that Anakin was married and he remembered thinking how Anakin was breaking the Code…but now as he watched Padme gently calm Anakin, he was thankful that Skywalker had managed to choose someone with a steady head that could counter Anakin’s wild, thoughtless tendencies. 

“After Anakin informed me of this, I sent Kit on a mission to accompany the Chancellor,” Mace continued, all eyes flicking to him. “Kit’s head tentacles are very sensitive to moods and auras…and he could sense that something wasn’t quite right with the Chancellor’s aura.”

“So he could be influenced or even controlled by this Sith Lord?” Bail asked shocked as he leaned back against his seat. If this was true this would throw the Senate, the Republic, into havoc and Palpatine would have to be removed from the chancellorship. 

“He could be,” Mace admitted, “but we don’t know for sure, so we can’t act without evidence,” he added meaningfully, looking to Bail. “If the Sith becomes aware that we know they’re influencing the Senate, it could cause them to act before we’re prepared.”

“How can you be prepared?” Bail asked, frowning slightly as he saw the clones exchanging small looks with each other. 

“We’re doing our best to unravel some of the plans we’ve discovered,” Plo answered this one vaguely. “But we will not tell you of what we found, just in case. We don’t want you to be put in danger or compromised, especially if the Sith does have control of the Senate.”

Bail sighed, looking to Padme, who looked surprised at that revelation. 

“Usually I would protest against not knowing,” Bail said grudgingly, “but if the Sith truly has embedded themselves in the Senate, if they’re someone we interact with, we can’t chance letting out the wrong information even accidentally.”

“What if they discover that we know about their presence within the Senate?” Padme asked worriedly. Anakin hugged his wife tighter at that. 

Mace just gave a small, reassuring smile. “Just keep going on as you do,” he assured them. “You are both very strong minded people, so I know the Sith wouldn’t be able to use a Mind trick to influence you nor would he be able to get into your mind. Don’t hold back or change what you do.”

Bail gave a thoughtful hum all of a sudden, looking to Padme. “You know, it would explain why we’ve been targeted or somehow put into more dangerous situations that would usually kill us if we didn’t have friends within the Jedi.”

“You think he’s targeting us?” Padme asked, surprised.

“It wouldn’t surprise me,” Obi-Wan said thoughtfully. “Though don’t put all of your survival to the Jedi, you’re both as stubborn as gundarks.”

Mace made a noise at that and Ponds shifted closer to press against his leg. Mace smiled warmly at him and gently rested his hand on Ponds’s bald head, fingers gently massaging. 

“It could explain it,” Mace said thoughtfully. “The Sith sees you as threats to his plans, which means you must be influencing others to go against his plans.”

“What are we going to do to protect them?” Anakin asked worriedly. 

“Well, our legion is currently grounded,” Ponds said thoughtfully as he looked to Mace. “We could always assign some to guard duty, like Trapper and Hawkeye, and say it’s for experience. We can say that Padme and Bail volunteered to have the clones guard them so they could experience it.”

Mace smiled, fingers pressing into Ponds’s skull and making Ponds’s eyes flutter shut at the feeling, making a content noise in his throat as he relaxed against Mace’s leg. 

“Good plan, Ponds, as always,” Mace praised. 

“That could work,” Padme agreed. “Everyone knows that we argue for the clones, so saying that we’re giving them this experience to help them…no one would bat an eye at it.”  
They spoke for a while longer, working out plans and talking about the changes that would happen now that the Jedi have care of the clones and how they would pull back from the Senate.

They all dispersed soon enough, heading back to their own rooms. 

Obi-Wan looked to Cody as Cody leaned sleepily on him as they walked back to their apartment. 

He felt a burst of triumph within his chest as he looked at Cody’s face and thought of the clones now under their care. He knew they had ripped the clones from the Sith’s grasp in yet another way and he knew it was a victory for them.

Obi-Wan gently pressed a kiss to Cody’s temple as they finally shuffled into their apartment. He grabbed Cody’s nightclothes as Cody slowly undressed and handed them to him with a smile, giving a small chuckle and helping Cody to put his arm in the sleeve when he missed it in his tiredness. Cody gave him a tired smile as he lay down in bed. 

Obi-Wan pulled the blankets up around Cody, tucking him in snuggly, before sitting on the edge of the bed beside him, watching as Cody drifted off.

He examined Cody’s peaceful face and felt his heart soften. 

He hoped the other clones could be this peaceful now, knowing they didn’t need to fear decommissioning if they were badly injured. 

Obi-Wan reached out to gently stroke Cody’s hair, smiling slightly as Cody gave a sleepy mumble and his nose wrinkled slightly. 

Yes, they had definitely had a victory today with the vote…and they had thwarted one of the Sith’s plans by destroying the chips in the clones heads thanks to the frequency Anakin and Echo had discovered. 

Obi-Wan knew something was coming, that this war was coming to a head…but for the first time, he felt ready to battle what was coming. He had the Jedi beside him, he had Anakin, he had the 212th and the clones…but most importantly, he had Cody.

And he would never let anyone hurt him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there it is!! Sorry it took a bit but it was birthday recently, so had a bit planned, and working out a (hopefully) new job path...
> 
> It's going to get very interesting very soon as I start with my next planned plot, which is what I had originally planned for this story.


	38. Nightmares

Tup startled slightly as his comm beeped, looking away from the conversation he was having with his brothers in Rex’s apartment. He pulled it from his pocket, reading the message. 

It was a new one from Jek.

 

_Tup,_

_I’m sorry I haven’t messaged you recently, but this job has pulled me around the Galaxy. I’m being safe, don’t worry, all of our missions are covert…and I think you’d be proud of me. I’m doing this to protect people, not to hurt them._  
_I was hoping to be on Coruscant soon so we could talk in person, but this job was a lot bigger than I thought._  
_I’m glad to hear you’re going okay. I was so happy when I saw the Senate vote since I know how much the Jedi care for you, so I know you’ll be safe and taken care of now._  
_I truly miss you and I hope I will see you soon_. 

_Take care, Tup._

_Love always,_

_Jek_

 

“Oooh, Tup’s got a small little sappy grin on his face!” 

Tup’s eyes wrenched up from the message at Hardcase’s teasing voice. Tup’s face flushed when he realised all of his brothers’ eyes were on him.

“I-It’s nothing,” Tup stammered as he shied away from the gazes. 

“Bull –,” Hardcase broke off with a startled yelp as Kix smacked him across the back of the head.

“Stop it,” Kix warned, growling lowly. “Our _vod’ika_ is clearly uncomfortable, leave him be.”

Tup looked up at Kix, smiling at him gratefully. Kix just smiled back as he settled back down next to Jesse.

“Aw, come on, Kix,” Hardcase whined.

“Hardcase,” Rex spoke up, voice firm. “You know Tup is shy, stop pushing him. He’ll talk about it if he wants to.” 

Tup looked to Rex and smiled at him. Rex gave him a reassuring smile in return as he sat beside Fives, leaning against him. Fives smiled at that, wrapping his arm around Rex’s waist and holding him close.

“Everything is okay though, right, Tup?” Jesse asked worriedly. He had grown even more protective over Tup after he had been assigned Captain of the 501st. Jesse knew that Rex would have wanted him to look after Tup, their beloved little brother, and so Jesse did, more so than he did before…but even more so after he watched Tup’s heart shatter. 

“Yes,” Tup answered with a small smile, hand absently reaching up to twist a lock of long hair around his finger. “Yes, everything is okay…it’s good actually…I think.”

“As long as you’re happy,” Jesse said before laughing softly as Kix snuggled closer, pressing a kiss to Jesse’s jaw. Jesse turned to Kix as the others went back to their conversation. 

“You okay there, Kixystix?” Jesse asked warmly, his golden brown eyes meeting Kix’s dark gold eyes fondly. Kix nodded, humming contently, before he nuzzled against Jesse’s neck. Jesse folded Kix into his arms, holding Kix close as Kix breathed out contently. 

“I’m fine,” Kix answered quietly as he pulled back slightly, shifting so his head was resting against Jesse’s. “I’m happy, _cyar’ika_ …I mean, _look_.”

Jesse cast his gaze around the room, seeing Rex and Fives curled together, murmuring to each other, as Echo, Puck and Hevy spoke with Tup and Hardcase; Hardcase had shifted to sit beside Tup and had the _vod’ika_ tucked under his arm, against his side, trying to apologize to Tup in his own way. 

“We’re all back together,” Kix whispered as his arms tightened around Jesse’s waist. “We’re all here. We’re all safe.”

Jesse’s heart warmed at Kix’s hushed voice, hearing the emotion within it, hearing Kix’s happiness and relief. 

“I know, Kixystix,” Jesse murmured as he kissed Kix’s cheek. “I know exactly what you mean.”

 

Palpatine sat at his desk, frowning deeply as he stared over his empty office, deep in thought. The sun setting behind him casting long dark shadows across the large office, giving it an eerie feeling, which Palpatine rather enjoyed.

The support for the Jedi had skyrocketed in the last few months while his own had dropped, with more calls for his resignation being called every day. 

The clones had become bolder, stronger, since the vote and all of the battles were falling in the Republic’s favour, which was infuriating for his plan. Dooku seemed unconcerned, but Palpatine did not like how easily the Jedi were winning. 

He needed a way to turn the mistrust on the Jedi.

Palpatine leaned back in his chair, arms folding across his chest as the thoughts and plans went through his head.

If only he could think of a way to destroy the trust the Republic had for the Jedi. It was still too early to activate order 66. He still hadn’t gotten Skywalker where he wanted him and activating that order now, when things weren’t ready, would be detrimental to his plans. 

Palpatine smirked smugly as he leaned forward, a thought suddenly coming to mind.

Sure, he might not be able to activate all of the clones…but what if he activated that command in just one?

What if he turned one of the clones, one who the Jedi had put so much time, effort and care into against them? 

Oh, and he knew just the two clones to target.

The only issue was getting to them in order to speak to them and activate the order since the Jedi had them protected so well. 

Palpatine leaned back again, rubbing at his chin thoughtfully. 

Of course, if he was worried about their wellbeing, since these specific two clones hadn’t been seen since they had been rescued, then it could be seen as him just trying to check up on them, like a kind, caring Chancellor and leader of the GAR. Sure, three Senators had seen one of them, but they couldn’t truly see how they truly were. 

Yes, Palpatine decided, Rex or Cody would work perfectly for his plan…he just needed to get his hands on them.

 

Cody shot awake with a hoarse cry, breathing heavily. 

Hands gently rested on his arm and rubbed his back soothingly.

“You’re okay, Cody,” Obi-Wan’s voice murmured comfortingly as Cody buried his face into his trembling knees. “You’re okay.”

Cody moved so he could bury himself into Obi-Wan’s arms. Obi-Wan made a small noise in his throat as he folded Cody into his arms, reaching up to gently stroke Cody’s hair as Cody trembled in his arms, burying his face into Obi-Wan’s neck.

“Was it a nightmare?” Obi-Wan asked gently. “Or a memory?”

“N-Nightmare,” Cody mumbled against Obi-Wan’s neck as he clutched on tightly to the back of Obi-Wan’s sleep shirt. “T-This wasn’t _him_ …it was something different.”

“Do you want to tell me about it?”

“T-There was a dark figure,” Cody said, voice shaking. “A-And I could tell he was dangerous and that he wanted to hurt me…and no matter where I ran to or where I tried to hide, he was always there to find me. There was just _darkness_ around him and it took over all of the light and the warmth.”

Obi-Wan frowned at that description of the nightmare as he rubbed Cody’s back.

“Did you see the figure’s face?”

“No,” Cody said quietly, “but I heard his laugh and it was dark and cold. He’s looking for me…there’s darkness and danger.”

Obi-Wan pulled back slightly as Cody’s voice took on an absent quality, lifting Cody’s chin so he could meet Cody’s amber eyes, seeing they were slightly distant.

“Cody, my love, come back to me,” Obi-Wan whispered as he stroked Cody’s cheek. “Come back to me.”

Cody blinked, his eyes focusing on Obi-Wan’s worried grey eyes. “Obi?”

Obi-Wan smiled in relief as he leaned forward to press his forehead against Cody’s, noses rubbing together slightly.

“I was just worried about you,” Obi-Wan murmured. 

“What happened?” Cody asked, confused.

“I’m not quite sure,” Obi-Wan admitted, “but it looked like you were seeing something, like a vision.”

“How’s that possible?” Cody asked, grinning weakly. “I’m not a Jedi.”

“No, you’re not,” Obi-Wan agreed, though he sounded thoughtful. “Though…well, never mind,” Obi-Wan trailed off, shaking his head. 

“It was just a nightmare, wasn’t it?” Cody asked worriedly.

“Of course, my darling,” Obi-Wan reassured him, shifting so he could kiss Cody’s cheek and watching as Cody’s eyes fluttered shut contently. “It was just a nightmare, but you needn’t worry, I’ll be here to protect you.”

Cody smiled warmly at that, amber eyes fond as they looked at Obi-Wan. “Of course you will,” Cody said as he buried himself back into Obi-Wan’s warm, comforting embrace. 

They both lay back down with Cody lying partly upon Obi-Wan’s chest, with Obi-Wan’s arms wrapped securely around him, making him feel comforted and protected.

Obi-Wan hummed softly as he rubbed Cody’s back, watching as Cody drifted back off to sleep. 

He had to admit to himself, he was a bit concerned about Cody’s nightmare and the conversation afterwards. After all, the way Cody spoke, it sounded like a vision almost…but that just couldn’t be!

Cody had never had visions before, though Obi-Wan did have to admit he did have rather quick reflexes. 

Obi-Wan looked at Cody curiously as that thought crossed his mind.

He had never thought of the clones of being Force sensitive, after all, none of them really showed an inclination before, though he did realise how good the clones were at hiding things that could get them in trouble or decommissioned. 

Obi-Wan gently carded his fingers through Cody’s soft black curls, smiling softly at the soft, content noise Cody made in his throat as he slept. 

He would have to look into this, to make sure it wasn’t a vision…and if it was he had to figure out a way to keep Cody safe and to figure out why he was getting visions now.  
Obi-Wan looked back to Cody as Cody gave a small whimper, writhing somewhat. Obi-Wan just started humming once more as he stroked Cody’s hair, smiling sadly as Cody’s face went peaceful once more.

He just couldn’t let Cody be hurt.

 

Obi-Wan smiled softly as he leaned against the bench, tea in hand, watching as Cody and Rex snoozed on the couch together, with Rex lying on Cody’s chest, snoring lightly.  
Cody’s face was peaceful as he slept, one arm wrapped around Rex’s back while the other hand was resting on the back of Rex’s neck. 

Obi-Wan sipped his tea as he watched them sleep. Cody hadn’t had a good night with nightmares plaguing him and waking him several times throughout the night. Rex had come by this morning and they had both soon curled up on the couch, fast asleep.

Obi-Wan was thankful that Rex was there; he knew that Rex and Cody shared a brother-bond deeper than any other, especially after they went through together…and he was glad that Cody had a brother like Rex that would be there for him, to comfort him.

He looked up as the door opened and as Mace walked in, pausing momentarily as he saw Cody and Rex curled up, fast asleep, on the couch. Mace looked to Obi-Wan, seeing him leaning against the bench, smiling slightly at him and returned the smile before he walked over.

“Everything okay?” Mace asked quietly as he leaned on the bench next to Obi-Wan.

“Rough night,” Obi-Wan murmured, looking back to Cody sadly. 

“Oh?” Mace murmured. Obi-Wan put his teacup aside and shook his head.

“Let’s not talk about this here,” he said quietly. Mace nodded, watching as Obi-Wan left a note for Cody in case he woke up, before he followed Obi-Wan from the apartment.

They walked in silence to the Room of a Thousand Fountains before they both settled down under a large tree, surrounded by fragrant, brightly coloured flower bushes.

Mace examined Obi-Wan’s face, seeing the worry in his grey eyes and the tight tiredness around his eyes.

“What’s bothering you, Obi-Wan?” Mace asked.

“Cody had a nightmare last night,” Obi-Wan explained, “except I don’t think it was an ordinary nightmare.”

“No?”

Obi-Wan explained the nightmare to Mace, watching the thoughtful furrow in Mace’s brow deepen when he told him how Cody’s eyes had gone distant, as though seeing something, and that Obi-Wan had to bring him back to the present. 

“Could it just be he was tired?” Mace questioned as he leaned back on his arms on the soft grass.

“No, I don’t believe so,” Obi-Wan responded as he leaned on his knees, fingers drifting over the green blades of grass under him. 

“And he’s never had visions before?”

“No, not that I’m aware of nor that he is aware of,” Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head worriedly. “I know he has quick reflexes, but…he has never shown an inclination of Force sensitivity, none of the clones have – but they could have hidden that from us.”

“Why?” Mace asked, confused.

“Fear that we wouldn’t like it,” Obi-Wan answered quietly. “Fear that we would send them to be decommissioned.”

“Oh,” Mace murmured. Though he knew they would never kill a clone for being Force sensitive, he knew there were Jedi who would turn up their nose or would react badly to it. He wouldn't blame the clones if they had hidden this from them.

“Would he protest against have his midichlorians tested?” Mace asked curiously. 

“I don’t think he would,” Obi-Wan said slowly, carefully. “But why now? Why hasn’t it presented itself before?”

“Well, I might have a theory,” Mace said carefully. “You two are bonded now, correct?”

“Yes, we have a soul bond.”

“There is a chance that Cody already had a higher midichlorian count, but still low enough that it wouldn’t really register for us,” Mace explained, frowning as he tried to figure out a way to explain this. “But when you two created a soul bond, you opened yourself to him, which included your connection to the Force.”

Obi-Wan stared at Mace in shock. “So you think our bond has deepened Cody’s connection to the Force? Allowed him to touch it, to use it?”

“It’s a possibility,” Mace said, “but I won’t be able to truly tell you until Cody’s levels are tested and Vokara has a look at your bond.”

Obi-Wan looked worried at that and Mace reached out, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Nothing bad will happen, Obi-Wan,” Mace reassured him. “We just need to find out what could be causing this vision so we can find the best way to help Cody. If it’s his midichlorian count that’s causing this, then we need to teach him how to control his abilities…but if it’s your bond, then we find a way to limit Cody’s exposure to your bond with the Force.”

Obi-Wan sighed, nodding tiredly. Mace took his hand off of Obi-Wan’s shoulder, both of them looking around at the greenery of the Room of a Thousand Fountains, watching as other Jedi walked by and as the younglings went darting past, laughing, as they ran towards the waterfall.

“It is curious that he received this vision,” Mace said a little while later. “Why is that figure targeting Cody?”

“I’m not sure, but I’m worried about him,” Obi-Wan admitted. “He’s been doing so well with his recovery. I don’t want him to get hurt by anyone else.”

“We’ll keep him safe,” Mace promised. “As long as he remains in the Temple, he will be safe.”

Obi-Wan nodded once more before he gave a small, sheepish smile. “Sorry, Mace, I didn’t ask what you were after when you came to my apartment this morning.”

Mace gave a small smile. “It’s fine, Obi-Wan, you were worried and distracted.”

Obi-Wan returned the smile before he leaned back on the grass. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

“This actually might go with Cody’s nightmare,” Mace muttered, causing Obi-Wan to frown. “I received a message this morning from the Chancellor, inquiring after Rex’s and Cody’s wellbeing. He wants to see them, to make sure they’re truly okay and that we aren’t hiding anything sinister.”

Obi-Wan blinked, staring at Mace in shock. “I’m sorry…what is he accusing us of?”

“I couldn’t quite decide if he was alluding to us hiding Cody and Rex because we were hurting them or harming them or what,” Mace grumbled, shaking his head. “But he wants to see them, to determine they are _‘unharmed and safe’_ or he’d be forced to take action to investigate their welfare further.”

“They are under _our_ protection,” Obi-Wan growled, grey eyes flashing dangerously. “They are under sanctuary of the Jedi Temple!”

“I know, Obi-Wan,” Mace told them, soothing him. “I have no intention of bowing to his demands. He can make do with Bant’s reports. I will not make Cody and Rex face him, to be interrogated, after all they’ve been through.”

Obi-Wan relaxed slightly at Mace’s reassurance, though he frowned.

“Why now?” he asked, looking to Mace. “They’ve been back for a couple of months now, so why be so concerned about them now?”

“I’m not sure,” Mace admitted. “He showed no concern when Plo and I went to discuss and sign the documents for the clones welfare and the Jedi pulling back from the Senate.”  
Obi-Wan’s frown deepened at that. 

“But as I said,” Mace said, breathing out. “We’re not caving into the Chancellor’s demands, we can’t allow Cody’s and Rex’s recovery to be stalled or pushed back for his demands, especially since they are both under the protection of Sanctuary.” 

Obi-Wan sighed, running a hand through his hair, messing it up. Mace watched him, his dark eyes taking in Obi-Wan’s tired eyes once again, his messed up hair and his robes which were slightly askew. 

“Something else is concerning you, isn’t it, Obi-Wan?” Mace asked quietly. 

“I just…I have a _feeling_ ,” Obi-Wan said quietly, almost frustrated. “There’s another battle coming, one that means life or death for us all…and it’s getting closer, can’t you sense it?”

“I sense it,” Mace murmured, looking around at the gardens, at the Jedi within it. There was a tightness in his chest as he thought of what he and the others had sensed, of an upcoming battle, a darkness getting closer, and how it could affect the Jedi.

He wanted the others to be safe. He wanted the younglings to grow up and be happy, to find their purpose in life. He wanted the young and old Knights, who were so affected by this war, to find new happiness in their life, to find the light once again. 

Mace knew this battle would determine their fates…and he could only hope that the Force would assist them, to keep the Galaxy within the Light. 

 

Cody walked back to the apartment, having just finished running around with Rex, Ponds and members of Ghost and Torrent within the training salles. 

Cody smiled as he thought of the laughter, as Rex had tackled Ponds to the ground and had wrestled with him. 

He paused by the door when he saw it was slightly opened and peered inside, seeing Obi-Wan and Mace standing in the lounge. Obi-Wan was frowning, one arm folded across his chest while the other stroked his beard.

“He’s getting more demanding,” Mace said as he paced. “I’ve managed to knock him back since I told you of this two weeks ago, but he’s getting angrier, more demanding.”

“Well, he can’t get everything he wants!” Obi-Wan retorted. 

“I know, Obi-Wan, I know,” Mace sighed. “I’ve been trying to keep him away, but the Chancellor is demanding to see Cody and Rex or he’s threatening to go to the press about this, to tell them we’re keeping them against their will. He’s threatening to pull your command in the GAR since your name is the one next to Cody’s and Rex’s as their sponsor/guardian while they’re under Sanctuary.” 

Cody felt his heart stutter in his chest at that, going cold and his skin crawling. 

“He can threaten all he wants,” Obi-Wan hissed. “He isn’t getting anywhere near Cody and Rex!” 

“I know, I have no intention of letting him near Cody and Rex, nor do I have any intention of letting him take away your command,” Mace said. “If he goes to the press about it, then Bant will speak on Cody’s and Rex’s behalf as their Mind Healer.”

Cody blinked as Obi-Wan and Mace spoke more. He glanced at the door once more before he walked off.

He needed to think.

Cody walked into one of the rooms he had stumbled upon during one of his wanderings when Obi-Wan had been in Council sessions, and it had soon become one of his favourite places to go. 

Cody settled down on one of the mats on the floor, laying back and staring at the ceiling.

He breathed out as the ceiling transformed into a night sky. Cody couldn’t quite recognize what system it was showing, but he rarely tried to recognize them, just content to watch the stars and the planets showing. 

Cody watched the stars drift across the ceiling as he thought over what he just heard.

The Chancellor wanted to speak to him or Rex…and he was threatening Obi-Wan and the Jedi if he didn’t get his way. 

Cody swallowed deeply at that, a lump forming in his throat at the mere thought that the 212th might be taken away from Obi-Wan and given to someone who wouldn’t care about them…or that the 212th might be split up, which hurt more. 

He knew he couldn’t let that happen, not for him. 

Cody shifted on the mat, feeling slightly frustrated. He knew Obi-Wan and Windu were trying to protect him and Rex – and he was truly grateful for that, but he also wanted to know about stuff like this. He wanted to be part of these conversations so he could have a say. 

After all, it did involve him…

Cody sighed, feeling drained all of a sudden. He understood, he really did, but not being able to have a say, to not speak up for himself…it made him feel useless, like he was back under Tram’s rule where he was just there to be seen.

He knew that that wasn’t what Obi-Wan and Windu meant to do, that they were just trying to protect him and Rex, but he didn’t want to useless anymore. Cody knew he was getting better, that he was healing after all of this time with Bant’s and Obi-Wan’s help.

Cody sat up, amber eyes determined. 

He couldn’t let Obi-Wan get punished for trying to protect him. Cody loved Obi-Wan too much for that to happen and he knew that if he was taken away from the 212th it would crush him – not to mention that Cody couldn’t bear for the 212th to be hurt in such a way, losing their General.

No, Cody couldn’t allow this…after all, it was just a conversation, nothing bad could happen from that, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly, I am so sorry it's taken so long to update, but I was asked to do emergency cover for a job for a week and phew, it was exhausting!!
> 
> Secondly, we're finally moving into the Final Act of this fic!


	39. Danger

Tup curled up on his bed in the apartment he and the others of Torrent were sharing. He could hear Hardcase snoring from out in the lounge and he could only hear Kix’s voice murmuring quietly through the thin walls, a familiar lilt to his voice which Tup recognized from when Kix told stories. Kix was really good at telling stories, Tup always loved listening to him. 

Tup smiled as he pulled out his comm, opening up his messages before he began to compose one.

_Jek,_

_I’m doing well. I’ve been on Coruscant more often than not lately, the battles seem to be turning in our favour, and it’s always good to be home with Rex and Cody now._  
_I’m in the Jedi Temple now actually, they’ve been taking care of us and have given a few of us apartments to share so we can be closer to Rex and Cody while we’re here. I’m sharing an apartment with Hardcase, Jesse and Kix_.  
_Hardcase is currently snoring on the couch, and I can hear Kix telling Jesse a story._  
_Kix is so good at telling stories. It helps calms down the wounded after a battle – I always found it soothing to listen to when I was hurt, it helped distract from everything_.  
_I’m glad to hear you’re going okay and I hope we can talk properly soon._

_Be careful,  
Tup._

Tup read over the message once more before he sent it, breathing out. It was always easy to send a message but he still wasn’t sure what he’d say or how he’d even react when he and Jek finally came face to face again.

Tup rolled over onto his side, looking out to the window where he could watch Coruscant’s ever present traffic zooming past in the distance. He reached under the pillow to pull out the scarf that Jek had given him and wrapped it around his hand, nuzzling his face into the soft material. 

Sighing softly once more, Tup drifted off to sleep, comforted by Kix’s low voice from the room next door, reassured by Hardcase’s loud snores from the lounge, and comforted by the soft material of the scarf.

 

Fives yawned as he climbed into bed, flopping face down into his pillow and smiling as he heard Rex’s laugh. Fives rolled over onto his side so he was facing Rex, who was smirking at him. 

“You’re ridiculous,” Rex told him, grinning. Fives just grinned back, gently pushing at Rex’s chest.

“Yeah, but I’m your ridiculous.”

“That makes no sense whatsoever, Fives,” Rex retorted, shaking his head, bemused. Fives just grinned at him again, watching as Rex settled down. 

Rex was definitely different now from the Rex he once was, the Rex he had been when Fives had met him. The Rex then had been a true soldier, hard, serious, fearless, always there for his men, and also unshakeable.

The Rex he was now was softer, more prone to smiling and laughing and showing his emotions. 

Fives loved him no matter what, but it made his heart lighter to see Rex now where he wasn’t burdened by the war and trying to keep his men alive. He knew Rex still struggled to be left behind, but Fives knew it was for the best.

Rex was getting better by being here in the Temple. He no longer had to stress about upcoming battles and surviving battles when so many didn’t. He could work on talking to Bant about his anxieties and recover from the horrors and abuse he had faced when he had been a slave. 

“What are you thinking about?” Rex asked suddenly, breaking Fives from this thoughts.

Fives smiled softly at him as he answered, “You.”

Rex cocked an eyebrow at that, his golden brown eyes examining Fives’s face. “Oh?”

“Mm,” Fives hummed as he reached out, clasping Rex’s hands in his own. “I was thinking about how you are now, seeing you relaxed and happy and smiling…and how much I love seeing you like this.”

Rex gave a sad smile as he squeezed Fives’s hands. “Not always,” he murmured.

“Well, no one can be happy all the time,” Fives replied gently. “But look at what you’re doing; you’re talking to Bant and finding ways to help when you’re not having a good day…and that’s what’s important.” 

Rex gave a small smile and Fives leaned forward so he could press his lips against Rex’s forehead briefly. 

“And I’m so _kriffing_ proud of you, you know that?” Fives said as he moved back. “You give us all hope that we can be something else other than soldiers, you know? I mean, look at you and your baking…also not to mention you and Cody seeing a Mind Healer have changed things,” Fives continued, watching as Rex’s eyes widened in amazement. “So many have come forward to their medics or to their Jedi to tell them if they’ve been struggling and the Jedi and medics have moved from there, getting them access to a Mind Healer or therapist.”

“I didn’t know that,” Rex murmured. Fives nodded, smiling softly.

“It’s gotten better since the Jedi have taken over our care and have made sure Mind Healers are accessible,” Fives explained, “but even so, none of the _vode_ would have talked if you and Cody hadn’t done it first.”

Rex just blinked, staring at Fives in surprise. Fives just smiled at him, squeezing his hands. Rex shifted then so he was lying next to Fives, head resting on his shoulder. Fives tucked his arm around Rex, holding him close and pressing a kiss to his temple. 

“You’re such a sap,” Rex just replied, voice fond, causing Fives to snort.

“Your sap,” Fives responded quietly, smiling against Rex’s short hair. Rex chuckled softly, wrapping his arm around Fives’s bare waist and nuzzling against Fives’s chest.

“Hey, is Cody okay?” Fives asked suddenly.

“Hmm?”

“I saw him and Obi-Wan going to the Halls of Healing,” Fives explained as he rubbed Rex’s back.

“Oh, he’s fine,” Rex assured him. “Apparently the bond that Obi-Wan and Cody share has opened Cody up to the Force?”

Fives blinked in shock, looking down at Rex. “You’re joking,” Fives said, eyes wide. “A Force sensitive clone?”

“Well, not really,” Rex responded. “He’s only opened to it because of Obi-Wan and the bond between them.”

“Did Cody tell you this?”

“Yes,” Rex sighed as he settled down on Fives’s chest. “He had a weird nightmare that put him on edge, and when Obi-Wan brought up that it could have been their bond that caused it, well, Cody just wanted to talk.”

“I still wouldn’t think that it would affect Cody,” Fives murmured thoughtfully. 

“Well, according to the Jedi, our midichlorian levels – which is what gives one access to the Force apparently – are pretty decent,” Rex explained. “Sure, we’re not at the level which would put us as Jedi, but we’re not completely cut off from it…null, that is,” Rex continued. “That’s what they call people whose midichlorian levels are basically nothing.”

“Huh,” Fives muttered. “So, Cody was able to have visions or something because his midichlorian levels were amplified due to the connection he and Obi-Wan share?”

Rex looked up at Fives in surprise at that. “Well, yes, that’s the gist of it,” Rex said, still surprised. Fives snickered softly at Rex’s surprised facial expression, reaching up to gently nudge Rex’s cheekbone with his knuckles.

“Don’t look so surprised,” Fives teased. “I did grow up with Echo after all.”

Rex just laughed softly as he settled back down, sighing contently as Fives gently rubbed at his back, fingers pressing in against Rex’s spine the way he liked it. 

“Well, hopefully it was just a nightmare,” Fives murmured a little while later. Rex nodded, sighing heavily.

“I hope so,” Rex muttered. “He’s been a bit off these last couple of days…and I don’t think he could cope with anything else happening to him.”

Fives shuddered at that thought.

Cody and Rex had both come so far since they had been rescued…if something bad were to happen to them again, it could put back all of their hard work. 

Fives gently hugged Rex tighter.

He would rather die before he let anyone hurt Rex like that again.

 

Cody paced around the apartment, heart beating fast and stomach twisting. He knew what he had to do, for Obi-Wan and his brothers, but something didn’t feel _right_. Something was screaming at him to just stay home. 

Cody walked into the bedroom, pausing by the desk and his bucket. He picked it up, frowning as its once familiar weight now felt too heavy in his hands. Cody walked over to sit on the bed, holding his helmet in his hands, staring at the dark visor. 

He once felt so brave wearing this helmet, feeling like he could face anything, to fight against any enemy…and he did, with his Jedi and his brothers by his side. 

Cody swept his hand on the 212th gold, fingers tracing the sunbursts on the chin. He still remembered the day he came to the 212th in his blank armour. He remembered how welcomed he had felt by the 212th; all of the men had been welcoming and respectful, happy to include him and actually _wanting_ him to talk to them and join in on their laughter…it was so unlike his old battalion. 

He remembered the gifts they had left for him in his room, including the 212th gold paint so Cody could paint his armour and truly become part of their family. 

Cody placed the helmet down, heart resolved. He knew that he had to do this, to protect those brothers who welcomed him with open arms and without a second thought. He had to do it for Obi-Wan, so he didn’t lose his men which would crush him. 

Cody stood up, leaving his helmet on the bed, as he went to pull on his boots. 

He knew this was the perfect time to go since Rex was in an appointment with Bant, and Obi-Wan had been dispatched to the lower levels of Coruscant to talk to an informant.

Cody paused by the door, pulling out his comm and regarding it for a moment. Cody took in a breath before he left the comm on the table beside the door. He knew he couldn’t take it, just in case Obi-Wan decided to comm him and discovered he wasn’t at the Temple…or in case Rex tried to find him.

He couldn’t take that risk.

Cody walked out of the apartment and through the halls, keeping his gait casual and relaxed so he didn’t tip off any passing Jedi that something was wrong, like he wasn’t just going for another walk. 

He headed down towards the lower levels, knowing there was a tunnel down there that led to a ventilation shaft that led to an outside exit. Not many people knew about this secret entrance. He and Obi-Wan had used it to sneak him in and out of the Temple. 

Unnoticed, Cody managed to slip from the Temple. He emerged from the tunnel, blinking up at the bright Coruscant sky. It had been so long since he had been outside of the Temple. 

Shaking his head, Cody pushed those thoughts aside, quickly walking away from the Temple and merging in with the crowd walking nearby. He was glad of these civilian clothing, it meant he wasn’t getting a second look by the crowds he walked within. 

He briskly walked to the Senate building, just wanting to get this over and done with…and not quite comfortable with how the crowds pressed around him, as he was bumped into and jostled.

Finally, he arrived and he looked up at the imposing building with trepidation building in his stomach. Shaking his head, Cody pushed those feeling asides, taking in a steeling breath before he entered. 

There were curious looks given to him as he walked through the hallways, head held high, until he came to the lift that would take him up to the Chancellor’s office. 

Once the doors closed, giving him privacy, Cody leaned against the shiny silver wall of the elevator and stared at his trembling hands with a frown.

He was sure that the medication he was on had stopped the trembling from his spice withdrawals – so why were his hands shaking now?

Cody swallowed deeply, not sure why he felt so nervous, not sure why his flight instinct was kicking in and basically begging him to just go back to the Temple where it was safe and secure. 

Cody didn’t get time to dwell on that as the elevator shuddered to a stop and the doors opened with a ping. Cody took in another breath before he exited the lift, heading towards the Chancellor’s secretary. She raised a manicured eyebrow as he approached.

“Yes?” she asked.

“I’m here to see the Chancellor,” Cody began to say before she cut him off.

“Everyone is, darling, but he can’t see everyone,” she replied as she brushed imaginary dust off of her deep red blouse.

“He’s been asking for me,” Cody continued, watching as the receptionist patted down her immaculate hair, which was tied back tightly into a high bun.

“Really?”

“Yes,” Cody said, growing frustrated. “Look, just tell him that I’m here and see what he says.”

The receptionist sighed, rolling her eyes. “Fine. What’s your name?”

“It’s Cody,” he answered, frowning down at his hands as they continued to tremble. 

“Cody what?”

“It’s just Cody,” Cody replied, gaining a look from the receptionist and sighing. “I also go by CC-2224.”

“A clone?” the receptionist asked, eyes wide.

Cody barely kept from scowling at her tone of voice. “Yes.”

“I’ll tell him, but no guarantee he’ll want to see you,” the receptionist said before nodding to a couch. “Wait there.”

“Thank you,” Cody sighed before he turned and walked to the dark red couches and sat down. Even though he was here, he still felt on edge, his body tensed as though it was just waiting for him to decide whether he was fleeing or fighting. 

“Cody!” 

Cody lifted his head at the hiss, seeing Fox coming towards him. 

“What in Sith hells are you doing here?” Fox hissed as Cody stood up to greet him. 

“The Chancellor has been asking to see Rex or myself,” Cody replied quietly, “and he was threatening Obi-Wan.”

Fox ripped off his helmet, golden eyes glaring at Cody. “For _kriffs_ sake, the Jedi can protect themselves!” Fox growled quietly. “It isn’t safe for you to be here, Cody!” 

“What do you mean?” Cody asked, frowning. 

Fox went to reply when the doors to the Chancellor’s office opened and the Chancellor strolled out. 

“Commander Fox, what are you doing here?” the Chancellor asked curiously. 

“I heard Cody was here and wanted to see how he was going, sir,” Fox replied respectfully. 

“Oh, do you know each other well?” Palpatine asked as he stopped beside them.

“Our squads were usually paired up together on Kamino,” Fox explained.

“Well, I hope you don’t mind if I steal him away then,” Palpatine said evenly.

“Oh, of course not, sir,” Fox replied hastily. “Cody…take care of yourself,” he said, a hint of a warning in his voice, before he jammed on his bucket. He bowed slightly to the Chancellor before he walked off. 

Palpatine turned to Cody, smiling warmly at him.

“Ah, Cody, it is good to see you,” Palpatine said, resting a hand on Cody’s shoulder as he led Cody into his office. “I have been quite concerned about you and Rex.”

Cody sat down as Palpatine directed him to, clenching his hands in between his knees so Palpatine didn’t see them trembling. 

“Thank you, Chancellor,” Cody said evenly, “but I just came to assure you that Rex and I are safe with the Jedi. They’re doing their best to help us.”

Palpatine nodded, leaning back in his own seat. 

He couldn’t believe that the clone had just walked himself in here, like an offering from the Force. 

Oh, there were so many possibilities now. What could he make this clone do that would jeopardise the Republics trust in the Jedi and the clones?

Palpatine nodded once again as he inquired after Cody’s health, not paying attention as plan after plan went through his head. 

A thought suddenly came to mind, so beautifully terrible that he had to hide a smug smirk. 

He had suddenly remembered the video that the clones had uploaded of Cody and the furry purple child. 

If the clone was to suddenly attack the child and kill it…oh the uproar and outrage it would cause. The distrust in the clones it would form. 

The good thing about being in charge is he could change the parameters of the chips. So if he told Cody to execute order 66, but only to take out the fuzzy purple Jedi youngling, he would do so without question.

“Cody,” Palpatine said suddenly.

“Yes, sir?”

“What would you say if I told you to execute order 66?”

Cody frowned at that, not remembering any order or command that corresponded to that.

“I’m afraid I’m not familiar with that one,” Cody answered, missing the flash of anger that went through Palpatine’s cold eyes at that. 

“Tell me, Cody,” Palpatine continued coolly. “Did you receive a head injury while you were captive?”

Cody stiffened slightly at that, heart racing in his chest.

Something about that simple question made him tense, body going cold in fear. Something was wrong here…so very wrong.

“Uh, yes,” Cody lied. “Tram didn’t care about injuring me when he was furious.”

Palpatine stood up, walking to his bar so he could hide his sneer.

Of course this one was damaged.

“And I had such high hopes for you,” Palpatine sighed, shaking his head. 

Cody straightened up at that, amber eyes widening.

“I-I’m trying to get back into the field, Chancellor,” Cody promised, somewhat desperately. “I want to go back and fight for the Republic.”

“Of course, dear boy, of course,” Palpatine said, trying to keep his voice calm. He had hoped that this clone, one that Kenobi had fought so hard for, to keep promoting, would be the one to take him down when the time came. 

But of course this one was now useless.

“How about a drink?” Palpatine asked.

“O-Oh, thank you, sir,” Cody stammered. Palpatine poured the cold drink into a glass before reaching into a hidden compartment. He eyed off the vial before he poured it into the drink. 

Well, if he couldn’t get Cody to kill a Jedi…he could still destroy the trust in the Jedi.

After all, how would the Republic take it if the clone that the Jedi risked everything to save and then hid away and tried to protect, suddenly attacked the Chancellor?

Palpatine walked back over, placing the glass in front of Cody.

Cody thanked him and picked up the glass. He froze when his heart started racing, his stomach twisting and turning, hands trembling as his breath caught in his throat.

Something was wrong here, so terribly wrong…and he needed to get out… **now**.

“Is something the matter?” Palpatine asked smoothly as he sipped his own drink.

“Something…something isn’t _right_ ,” Cody stammered suddenly, a cold sweat suddenly covering him. “Something’s _dangerous_ , something’s _wrong_ …I need to go…I need to get back to the Temple.”

Palpatine frowned, straightening up as Cody placed his drink down, seeming close to panicking. 

“What is it?”

“Something’s wrong,” Cody continue to stammer, amber eyes darting around. “Can’t you feel it?”

Cody felt like panicking, like something was closing in and constricting his chest. He rarely felt like this, only when he knew the battle was about to turn bad. 

There was danger here and he needed to leave… **now**.

“I-I’m sorry, Chancellor, I-I shouldn’t have come,” Cody rushed as he got to his feet, breathing heavily. “I-I thought I was ready but I’m not…and something isn’t right! Something isn’t right!”

Palpatine frowned.

There was something curious about this clone and how he was reacting…as though he was _sensing_ danger. Palpatine reached out with the Force, startling at what he found when he examined the panicking clone with it.

“You’re Force Sensitive,” Palpatine breathed out at the realisation. Cody looked to him, amber eyes widening slightly.

“I’m sorry, Chancellor, I-I need to get back to the Temple…I-I’m not ready to be out yet, I’m sorry,” Cody said quickly before he hurried from the room.

Palpatine sat for a moment, thinking over what just happened. The clone had only reacted once Palpatine had given him the drugged drink, as though he sensed the danger and reacted to it.

A Force sensitive clone was something he never imagined…but this could be so useful. A new plaything would definitely come in handy. 

Palpatine picked up his comm.

“Commander Fox,” he said once it was answered. “I need you to bring Cody back to me. I believe he is in danger and want him brought safely back to me. Keep this quiet so the Jedi don’t interfere.”

“ _Yes, sir,_ ” came the response. 

Palpatine leaned back in his seat, smirking.

Oh yes, this clone could definitely be useful.

 

Cody hurried from the Chancellor’s office, ignoring the surprised look the secretary gave him. Cody almost collapsed against the elevator wall as the doors finally closed, trembling.

Something was dangerous in the Chancellor’s office. Something had screamed danger at him and to get out of there as soon as he could, to get back to the safety and protection of the Jedi Temple. 

Cody let out a breath as the elevator doors opened and he hurried out. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck prickling and knew he wasn’t out of danger yet. 

Cody was just about at the doors to the Senate building when he spotted Fox. He paused for a moment, looking at Fox and then seeing members of the Coruscant Guard appearing.

Something heavy settled in Cody’s stomach as Fox gave a slight tilt of his head, as though telling Cody to run. Cody didn’t ignore that warning and quickly turned, darting out of the Senate building, ignoring the angered and shocked looks from the Senators as he ran past. 

Fox watched Cody disappear, feeling on edge. He knew something like this would happen, he just knew it.

Now, he had to make sure Cody managed to get back to the Jedi.

There was a small click in his helmet, signalling an encrypted closed line.

“ _Fox, what’s going on?_ ” Thorn’s voice asked worriedly as said clone appeared beside him.

“The Chancellor has called for us to bring Cody back to him,” Fox explained quickly through their private channel, waiting for the other members of the Guard to appear. “Something about him being in danger, which we know is bantha shit.”

“ _What are we going to do?_ ” Thorn asked after a moment’s pause. He was one of the Commanders who had seen the change in the Chancellor and knew something wasn’t quite right, especially with a command such as this.

“You have your spare comm on you, right?” Fox asked. “The encrypted ones we use to get around the GAR?”

“ _Always have it on me_ ,” Thorn replied, which was true. He never knew when he’d need it or be contacted on it so they could get a brother out of trouble without it being put through the official channels.

“Good, we’re probably going to need it,” Fox replied.

“ _What is the plan though, Fox?_ ” Thorn asked as the last few Guard finally arrived.

“We’re going to get to Cody before anyone else,” Fox replied before he turned off the private channel and went back into the public. 

“The Chancellor has ordered us to bring Cody, otherwise known as CC-2224, ex-Marshal Commander of the 212th back before him,” Fox ordered the others. “This is to be kept low key and within the Guard channels only. He is to be brought back unharmed, so weapons set on stun only. Now move out!”

Fox turned and jogged from the Senate building, with Thorn to his right and the others beside him.

He knew Cody had a head start, as he had given it to him, but he also knew that Cody wouldn’t go straight back to the Temple since Guards would have already been posted nearby thanks to the Chancellor. 

Fox only hoped that he was the one to reach Cody first.

He and Thorn were the only hope Cody had to get back to the Jedi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting to the fun part now :P


	40. Running

Ponds stood in front of members of the Jedi Council, datapad held in hand. Mace smiled slightly at him, giving a reassuring nod. Ponds took in a breath as he looked at Kit, Yoda, Mundi and Billaba before looking back to his datapad.

“On the latest update, it seems that every clone has listened to the frequency,” Ponds informed them.

“How are you sure they actually listened to it?” Mundi questioned. “How are you certain they listened to it long enough?”

“We were taught, had it beaten into us, that we are to listen to all messages to the very end,” Ponds explained calmly. “And Echo thought of that possibility as well, so he had me record a message at the end of the frequency with a question that the clones were meant to send me a message back to answer. There were some delays from clones out in outer rims or currently in battle, but I have logged answers from all of the clones out in the field now. I also had confirmation from Alpha that he and Shaak Ti managed to play this frequency over the speakers on the different cities of Kamino.”

“What question did you ask them?” Billaba asked curiously. 

“I explained that this was a test frequency for a new weapon,” Ponds said. “I asked them to tell me if they had any head pain during the listening of the first part of the message, so we can make sure that this ‘weapon’ doesn’t affect them…of course, they have no idea that we were destroying a weapon within them.”

“Smart move,” Fisto smiled, looking to Yoda and Mace. Yoda sighed, leaning back in his chair.

“One plan unravelled,” Yoda said quietly. “How many more are there?”

“With all due respect, sir, but I think this might have been the biggest one,” Ponds said cautiously. “The Sith has the clones implanted within the Jedi, serving beside you, and we have your trust. I think that if we hadn’t discovered the chips and they’d been activated…well,” Ponds trailed off for a moment, hesitating, looking up at meeting Mace’s gaze. Mace gave him another small nod and Ponds looked back to Yoda, standing straight and meeting his gaze firmly.

“If that ordered had been activated, I don’t think the Jedi would have stood a chance,” Ponds told him. “After living, fighting and dying alongside you all of these years, you _trust_ us with your **lives**. You wouldn’t see us turning the blaster onto you until it was too late for most anyway.”

Heavy silence fell in the chamber at that remark. They all knew it to be true, they knew they wouldn’t suspect a thing until the Force screamed at them – if it did decide to warn them, that is – and the clones had been turned against them, firing upon them. 

“Ponds is right,” Mace said gravelly, breaking the silence. “We wouldn’t have known and our closest friends, our allies, our _brothers_ , would be turned against us against their will.”

Ponds shuddered at thought, at the thought of losing his mind and his freewill and being forced to turn against the man he loved, to aim his weapon at him. He wouldn’t have had a choice, he wouldn’t have had the chance to fight back against it…he would have been a slave to orders. 

“While there may be other plans, I do believe we are better off for discovering this one,” Mace continued. “Since now we have the clones by our sides, to help us through anything the Sith throws at us.”

Ponds grinned at that, giving a determined nod. “We’ll fight beside you until the end,” Ponds promised. 

“We have no doubt of that,” Kit told him, smiling warmly at him. 

Ponds glanced at his datapad when it beeped with a new message, frowning at it. 

“Ponds, what is it?” Mace asked, concerned, as he detected a change in Ponds’s mood. 

“It’s a message from Trapper,” Ponds said absently as he opened it. He and Mace had assigned Trapper and Hawkeye as two of the soldiers assigned to protect Organa and Amidala. 

Ponds swore under his breath as he finished reading the quick message, going pale as he looked to Mace.

“We have a problem.”

“What is it?” Kit asked as he leaned forward, frowning. 

“It’s Cody,” Ponds said quickly, not quite believing this. Surely Cody, his usually smart, sensible brother, wouldn't do something so _foolish_. “Trapper, who is one of the soldiers assigned to Organa and Amidala, just messaged me. He was in the Senate building and saw Cody there, running from the Senate building. Fox and the Coruscant followed after him not long after Fox issued instructions to the Guard, saying that the Chancellor wants him.”

“We’ve got to inform Obi-Wan,” Kit said worriedly, looking to Mace again. “I’ll get the Temple Guards to keep an eye out near the Temple in case Cody comes here and needs help.”

Mace nodded, getting to his feet. “I’ll contact Obi-Wan, while we try and locate where Cody might be.”

Ponds quickly followed Mace from the Council chambers, keeping next to him. 

“Can you locate Cody’s comm?” Mace asked as they reached the elevator. Ponds nodded as he searched through the program, swearing once more when he located Cody’s comm.

“It’s still in the Temple,” Ponds sighed, looking to Mace. “Looks like he left it here. Damn it,” Ponds swore, running a hand over his head agitatedly. “Why would he do this?!”

“I’m not sure,” Mace murmured. “Would Rex know where he is?”

“Doubt it,” Ponds sighed as he leaned against the wall. “Rex would have never let Cody leave the Temple.”

“We’ll find him, Ponds,” Mace reassured him, reaching out to gently touch Ponds’s hand, though hesitantly. “We won’t let him get hurt again.”

“I hope so,” Ponds murmured, shifting so he could lean against Mace for a moment, resting his head against Mace’s shoulder. “We can’t lose him again.”

“We won’t,” Mace whispered as he rested his head against Pond’s. They both straightened up before the elevator door opened and they strode out, needing to prepare and make sure Cody was found and recovered safely. 

 

Cody hurried through the streets of Coruscant, ignoring the angry looks and yells as people quickly moved out of his way. His heart was still racing, though the overwhelming sense of fear had abated somewhat. Cody still knew he was in danger though, having watched Fox’s slight helmet tilt, telling him to run in the subtle language that all clones had developed. 

He knew the Chancellor was after him now and he had to get somewhere safe. 

Cody definitely knew that going directly to the Temple was foolish, knowing that Palpatine would have sent Guards there first, seeing it was meant to be Cody’s sanctuary.  
The barracks would be out too, as the Guard would easily locate him there. 

Cody paused for a moment, leaning against a railing and taking a moment to catch his breath. He looked down to the walkways underneath, mind racing as he tried to think of somewhere to hide, somewhere he’d be safe until he could contact Obi-Wan. 

He still couldn’t believe this was happening. He thought he would see the Chancellor, clear this up, and get back to the Temple before Obi-Wan realised.

He never thought this could happen, to being so panicked, feeling something so **wrong** , that he ran from the Chancellor’s office. Cody had no idea why the Chancellor had been so cold after Cody didn’t recognize the order, or why he sent the Guard after him.

After all, the Chancellor had basically acted like Cody was worthless, so why bother sending the Guard after him.

Cody frowned at that thought. Yes, the Chancellor had acted like that until Cody had panicked which had piqued the Chancellor’s interest. 

He shivered as he thought back on that moment. While he was panicking, he had felt something push against his subconscious and it felt similar to when Obi-Wan touched his mind with the Force, to either speak to him or check on him…but this was different to Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan’s touch on his mind was soft and warm, feeling like a gentle caress or breeze against his mind…but this one had felt dark and cloying and almost like fingers bluntly prying against his mind.

It was something dark and dangerous and Cody remembered a whisper in his mind, telling him to force it out, and so he had done that and pushed that presence away – and that was when the Chancellor stared at him, stunned. 

“Cody!” 

Cody’s head snapped up, yanking him from his thoughts, and his heart stuttered when he saw Fox and the Guard running towards him, scattering citizens. Cody glanced down once more, looking down at the walkway beneath him.

“Don’t do it, Cody!” 

Cody ignored Fox’s shout and braced his hands on the ledge and swung his body up and over the ledge. He dropped to the walkway below, pushing his body into a forward roll so he didn’t damage his ankles on the landing, startled people staring at Cody in shock and whispering. 

Cody looked up at the walkway he had just jumped from and saw Fox and Thorn leaning over it, staring down at him. Cody gave them a small shake of his head before getting up and running off. 

Fox stared at Cody in shock as Cody vaulted off of the ledge and ran over to where Cody had just leapt from. 

“Did he really just do that?!” Thorn yelped as he ran next to Fox, both of them leaning over the ledge to see Cody crouched on the walkway below them, which was about ten feet beneath them, and turning to look at them. Fox watched as Cody shook his head before he stood up and darted off, the people around him quickly getting out of his way and whispering to each other as they glanced up towards Fox and Thorn.

“Sir, should we go after him?” one of the shinies asked. 

“If you jump in that armour, you’re going to break your legs,” Fox told them as he turned to face them. “Besh squad, you go east in case he loops around,” Fox ordered. “We’ll head north, I have a feeling…” Fox trailed off. 

“Move out!” Fox ordered instead. He had run through a list of possible safe havens in the direction Cody was running and one suddenly came to mind. 

Now he just had to get there before any other of the Guard squads found him. 

Cody ran through the streets, knowing where he should go, where he would be safe. He slowed down to a jog when he approached the location, breathing slightly heavier. Cody glanced around, making sure none of the Guard were around. He knew they’d be here soon, seeing as this was a safe haven for clones, but it was the only place he knew on Coruscant to be safe besides the Jedi Temple. 

Taking in another breath, Cody glanced at the somewhat dirty and faded silver and red façade before he entered the diner. He looked around, breathing in the familiar and oh-so comforting scent. 

“Cody!” came the loud, familiar call before he was swept up into a gentle hug. Cody wrapped his arms around the large beskalisk, returning the hug and feeling as safe as he had all day. Dex pulled back, frowning at him as he rested his top two hands on Cody’s shoulders.

“What are you doin’ here?” Dex asked, concerned. “Where’s Obi-Wan?”

“D-Dex, I’m in trouble,” Cody stammered out and Dex quickly sitting him down on a nearby free seat as he took in Cody’s pale and dishevelled appearance.

“What’s happened?”

“T-The Chancellor…something happened and he’s sent the Guard after me,” Cody rushed out, ignoring the fact that others had gone quiet to listen and watch them. “I-I don’t know why he wants me, but there’s something _wrong_ there and something dangerous and he wants to take me away!”

Dex frowned as he crouched down. “The Chancellor?” he asked. 

“Dex, I don’t know why, b-but I don’t know what else to do!” Cody said, panicked. “He’s trying to take me away, something is wrong, and I’m scared, Dex.”

“We’ll get you back to Obi-Wan, don’t fret,” Dex promised, before he glanced up, having spotted something red in his peripheral. Dex swore under his breath as he saw the Coruscant Guard approaching.

“Hermione!” Dex called out, the blonde waitress quickly coming to his side. “Take Cody out the back and hide him away.” 

Dex turned his focus back on Cody, seeing he had paled as he also spotted the Guard approaching. Dex rested his hands on Cody’s shoulders again.

“You’re safe here, Cody, we’ll protect you, but you need to go with Hermione and keep quiet.”

Cody nodded, standing up as Hermione quickly ushered him towards the kitchen, where FLO was skating about. 

Dex turned to the other customers in the diner. “No one says a word about this,” he told them firmly. “No one tells the Guard that he’s here.”

“Or you deal with us,” Daniels spoke up, glaring at them all. “You all saw how scared he was.” 

Dex went back to walking about the café, acting normal. He glanced up as Hermione came back out of the kitchen, giving him a small nod. Dex returned it, knowing Cody was as hidden away as he could get. 

 

Hermione ushered Cody into the kitchen, shifting a large box and opening up a large metal cupboard under one of the sinks. 

“In here,” Hermione told him. “You’ll be safe in here.”

Cody took in a steeling breath as he shifted into it. He settled inside, trembling as flashes of the box came back into his mind.

“Don’t close the door all the way, please,” he begged Hermione. “I-I can’t be locked in a box again, I can’t.”

Hermione nodded, eyes softening as she saw his eyes widen in panic. “I won’t,” she promised, “but I’ll need to move the box back in front of it.”

Cody nodded, reaching into his shirt to pull his engagement ring out, clutching onto it tightly for strength. Hermione smiled at him once more before she shut the door, though she left it slightly opened. She stepped back and shifted the box back, muttering to FLO that no one was to know Cody was there, on Dex’s orders, before she hurried back out to the front, nodding to Dex to let him know Cody was safe. 

Dex looked to the door as it opened and five members of the Coruscant Guard came in, with two more remaining by the front door. 

“Can I help you boys?” Dex asked. “Need a table?”

“No,” one of the Guard replied, who Dex guessed was the leader. “I am Commander Fox, we’re here on duty.”

“Oh?” Dex asked, four arms folding across his chest and belly. 

“We’re looking for this clone,” Fox said, activating a holo of Cody’s face. “The Chancellor wants to speak to him.”

“I haven’t seen Cody here in a long time,” Dex answered, not bothering to hide the fact that he knew who Cody was. “Not since he was kidnapped.”

“You know him?”

“Yes,” Dex answered shortly. Fox looked to Thorn. 

“Well, you won’t mind if we have a look around then?” Fox asked. Dex gave a wave of his hand. 

“Whatever,” Dex muttered. “Go ahead, but don’t mess up my kitchen!”

“Thorn, you go and look around,” Fox said, giving a slight tilt of his head. Thorn nodded.

“Will do, Commander,” Thorn responded and headed to the back. Fox noticed that Dex watched Thorn into the kitchen warily.

“Sir, shouldn’t someone else go with him?” one of the shinies asked eagerly.

“No,” Fox responded easily, glancing at the shiny. “The kitchen is small, so if Cody is hiding back there and there’s a tussle, that will cause serious injuries – but if you’re so eager to do something, go outside and stand by the back door in case someone runs out of there.” 

The shiny nodded and quickly headed out. 

“So what does the Chancellor want with Cody anyway?” Dex asked, eyebrow raised. “If I remember right, the Chancellor didn’t give a damn that Cody and Rex were kidnapped, made into slaves and repeatedly raped, so why is he so interested in Cody now?”

Fox looked at Dex in surprise. “You know what happened to Cody?”

“Who doesn’t?” one of the diners snorted. Dex shot him a look before looking back to Fox.

“Master Kenobi asked me to listen out for anything, not to mention that recording that was released of the Chancellor threatening Ponds, I believe, for asking why Cody and Rex weren’t important enough to be rescued,” Dex replied. Fox gave a nod.

“I don’t know why the Chancellor wants Cody,” Fox said moments later, “but we’re not meant to question orders.”

Dex gave Fox a curious look at that. That was a curious statement. 

 

Thorn walked into the kitchen, knowing that Cody was in there somewhere since Fox had sent him in there alone. Thorn raised an eyebrow at the droid wheeling around but paid her no attention, instead looking around the rather clean and organized kitchen. 

His gaze fell on a box in front of a partially opened cupboard and he sighed, walking over to it, keeping his footsteps light so he didn’t startle Cody. 

Thorn shifted the box and gently knelt down in front of cupboard and pulled off his helmet, setting it aside on the nearby box. Thorn carefully opened the door, giving a sad smile when he saw Cody jammed in there, amber eyes wide with panic and fist clenched around something on a necklace. 

“It’s okay, Cody,” Thorn said gently. “We’re not going to take you in; you’re safe.”

“W-What?” Cody breathed. 

“Fox and I aren’t going to bring you in, that’s why I’m in here alone,” Thorn told Cody. “We’re not giving you to the Chancellor, we know something isn’t right, but we also had to get to you first because the other Guard would have taken you to him and not let you go back to the Temple.”

Cody blinked, unsure. “You’re letting me go back to the Temple?”

“Of course, Cody,” Thorn soothed him, knowing Cody was still scared, seeing how tense he was. Thorn reached into his belt, pulling out a comm.

“This is one of our encrypted ones,” Thorn told him, giving a small smile, “since I’m guessing you don’t have one on you?”

Cody carefully reached out to take the comm from him with his free hand, retracting it. 

“Stay in here until Dex tells you it’s safe,” Thorn told him. “Then call one of the Jedi to come get you, though probably not Kenobi since the Guard will follow him. Get back to the Temple and stay there, Cody.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Because you’re our brother, Cody, one of our most beloved,” Thorn smiled at him. “You have no idea how much you and Rex have changed things for all of us. So get back to the Temple and be safe there.”

Thorn stood up and grabbed his helmet.

“Thorn?” Thorn looked down at the soft call, seeing Cody peering out at him from his hiding place. “Thank you.”

“Any time, _vod_ ,” Thorn grinned at him.

“Tell Fox too.”

“I will, just be safe and don’t do anything stupid again, huh?” Thorn asked, smiling as Cody gave a small nod. Thorn turned to leave, jamming his helmet back on his head and leaving the kitchen.

“Anything?” Fox asked as Thorn approached him. 

Thorn shook his head. “Kitchen is clear,” he replied. “All taken care of.”

Fox nodded at Thorn’s secret message, relaxing slightly. 

“Fine, let’s move out,” Fox ordered instead. “We still need to find where he’s gone.”

Dex watched as Fox and the rest of the Coruscant Guard left the diner. He couldn’t believe that they didn’t find Cody; so either the Coruscant Guard were really lazy – though he doubted it with how much time Thorn had spent in his kitchen – or there was something else at play.

Dex made sure the Coruscant Guard were gone before he headed back into the kitchen. He saw the cupboard was opened and that Cody was still sitting in there.

“How are you, kid?” Dex asked as he crouched down, offering a hand. Cody took it and allowed Dex to help him out of the cupboard. Dex sat him down on a nearby box, looking over him. “Are you okay? They didn’t hurt you?”

Cody shook his head, playing with a ring on a necklace he was wearing. “No,” Cody murmured. “Thorn gave me a comm, told me to contact the Jedi and to get back to them and not to be stupid again.” 

“Sounds like a plan,” Dex told him, his eyes falling to the ring that Cody was playing with and giving a warm smile. “He finally proposed, huh?”

Cody looked up at that, giving a small smile and a nod. 

Dex chuckled at that, gently scruffing up Cody’s hair. “I’m so happy for you two,” Dex told him. “You’ve been the best thing that’s ever happened to that boy and I can see how much he loves and adores you.”

“I love him,” Cody said, looking back up at Dex. “More than anything.”

“I’m glad,” Dex said gently. “Now, call your Jedi and stay back here until they come for you, okay?”

Cody nodded and Dex turned to get back to his customers. 

“Hey, Dex?”

“Mm?”

“Thank you.”

Dex smiled warmly at him. “Any time, Cody, and anything for Obi-Wan’s beloved.” 

Cody watched as Dex left before swallowing deeply and looking back to his comm. He knew Obi-Wan was on assignment and Thorn had told him not to call Obi-Wan, so he wouldn’t, but he wasn’t sure who else to contact.

Sighing, Cody inputted a familiar code. He knew he was going to cop it when the call was answered, but he knew he just had to deal with it. He made this decision, he had to deal with the consequences.

“ _Ponds_ ,” came the curt reply.

“Ponds, it’s Cody,” Cody started but didn’t get the chance to say much more. 

“ _Cody! What in hell were you thinking leaving the Temple alone?!_ ” Ponds ranted. “ _Do you have any idea how worried we were about you, especially once I got the message from Trapper saying you’d run from the Senate building and the Guard had been sent after you!_ ”

“Ponds, I know,” Cody interrupted. “I-I made a mistake, but I need help, Ponds!” 

There was an intake of breath, as though Ponds was calming himself down. 

“ _Okay, where are you? Mace said he’ll come and bring you back to the Temple_ ,” Ponds asked.

“I’m at Dex’s,” Cody said. “He’s keeping me safe.”

“ _Mace will be there shortly, stay inside and he’ll come in to you…and, **vod’ika** , you and I will be having some serious words when you’re back in the Temple_,” Ponds warned him. Cody sighed, leaning back against the cupboard.

“Yes, Ponds.”

“ _Good, now stay safe and don’t get into any more trouble until Mace gets there_.”

Cody brought his knees up once he had signed off the comm, wrapping his arms loosely around them. He knew Ponds was just worried about him but he definitely knew Ponds would let him hear how disappointed he was, it was what he always did. Ponds always took on this deeply disappointed look which cut Cody deeper than anything and he’d been doing it since Cody was on Kamino, when he and Rex had gotten into mischief. 

Cody could deal with Ponds disappointment, since he knew Ponds would be more worried about him anyway…but he wasn’t looking forward to seeing Obi-Wan after this.  
He knew Obi-Wan would be so worried…and Cody hated making him worry.

Sighing, Cody buried his face into his knees and just hoped everything would get better from here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that turned out okay, I had trouble getting it into order :)


	41. Unsure

Ponds looked to Mace, who gave him a reassuring nod, putting a hand on his shoulder and giving a small squeeze.

“I’ll go get him now,” Mace reassured him. “Go sit with Rex for a bit and I’ll bring Cody back through the hangar.”

Ponds gave a sigh, nodding. “Bring him home, Mace.”

Mace squeezed his shoulder once more before he strode off towards the hangar, finding a close roofed speeder for privacy. He paused for a moment beside it, seeing a discarded Jedi robe on some nearby crates. Mace grabbed the robe and climbed into the speeder. Mace quickly took off, pulling out of the Temple and heading towards Dex’s. 

He knew Obi-Wan was on his way back. He had contacted Obi-Wan and Obi-Wan had just said that he knew something wasn’t right and he was on his way back to the Temple.   
Mace didn’t bother to ask Obi-Wan to explain how he knew after hearing Obi-Wan’s clipped, short words, knowing that Obi-Wan was worried. 

Mace pulled the speeder into the alley behind Dex’s and grabbed the spare robe. He got out into the dingy alley, looking around the silent alleyway. Mace draped the spare robe over his arm before he walked out of the alley, heading into Dex’s. 

There was a slight hush that fell when Mace entered the diner, looking about. 

“Can I help you?” a blonde waitress asked as she approached, eyeing off his Jedi robes suspiciously. 

“I’m looking for Dex,” Mace replied.

“What for?” 

Mace looked up at the deeper voice, seeing a large Besalisk coming out from the kitchen. Mace gave a small smile and a nod. He had met Dex before when he, Obi-Wan and some of the other Councillors had decided to escape the Temple for dinner and Obi-Wan had dragged them all in here, introducing them to Dex and the amazing greasy food he offered.

“Hello, Dex,” Mace greeted. “I’m a friend of Obi-Wan’s, we’ve met before, and I believe you have something for me?”

Dex smiled, nodding his head and waved one of his hands. “It’s in the kitchen, come on.”

Mace followed the large Besalisk into the kitchen, deftly stepping out of the way of a waitress droid, and his gaze fell on a shivering clone sitting on a box, shoulders slumped as he leaned forward, head buried in hands. 

Dex walked over and gently rested a hand on Cody’s back. 

“Cody,” Dex murmured. “Your ride is here.”

Cody lifted his head, amber eyes meeting Mace’s dark eyes. Cody trembled and looked down once more. 

“It’s all right, Cody,” Mace reassured him as he walked over to him, resting a hand on Cody’s bowed head. “You’re going to be okay, but we need to get you back to the Temple.”

Cody nodded, a large tremble running through his frame. 

“Come now,” Mace said gently, helping him up. Cody stood up, glancing up to meet Mace’s gaze. Mace gave him a reassuring smile and Cody averted his gaze once more, feeling guilty. 

“Here,” Mace continued. “Put this on, just in case.” 

Cody looked up, taking the brown robe from Mace in surprise. His finger drifted over the coarse fabric of this robe, which felt so different from Obi-Wan’s. Obi-Wan had always worn and washed his robes to the point they were soft and comforting. 

“C-Can I wear a Jedi robe?” Cody asked quietly, unsure. 

“Of course, Cody,” Mace reassured him, catching the way Dex frowned in concern at Cody. Cody nodded and slipped on the robe. Mace straightened it up once Cody had it on, gently brushing Cody’s shoulder in comfort.

“Come now, we should get back to the Temple,” Mace murmured, a little concerned with how quiet Cody was being. Cody nodded, looking to Dex.

“Thank you, for everything,” Cody said quietly. Dex reached up to gently squeeze Cody’s shoulder with his two lower hands while one of his upper hands gently mussed up Cody’s hair.

“Any time, Cody, for anything,” Dex promised him. Cody nodded, giving a weak smile. “Go on now, get home to Obi-Wan, he’ll be pacing a hole in the floor.” 

Mace murmured a thank you to Dex, getting a nod from the Besalisk.

“Just look after him, okay?” Dex answered in response. “He was so scared when he came running in here.”

“We’ll keep him safe,” Mace promised. “The Chancellor won’t get his hands on him.”

Mace walked Cody out of the diner once Cody was hugged tightly once more, leading him out to the speeder in the alley. Cody slipped into the passenger side, arms hugging his middle. Mace glanced at him once more before maneuvering the speeder up and out of the alley. 

Cody kept glancing at Mace, who remained silent as he drove. 

His stomach was twisting nervously, tying itself into knots as he glanced at Mace. 

“I’m sorry,” Cody whispered finally, getting a look from Mace. “I-I just…I’m _sorry_.”

“I don’t know why you did it,” Mace said carefully, “but I know you must have had your own reasoning’s, so I’m not going to say anything. However, I can’t say the same of Ponds and Obi-Wan – especially since I’ve seen how worried Ponds was, so expect words from him.”

Cody slumped back in the seat, fingers playing with the hem of the oversized sleeve. “I know,” he mumbled. 

“You’re just lucky that you only need to deal with Ponds,” Mace joked lightly, trying to make Cody a bit more comfortable. “I can’t imagine what dealing with Ponds, Wolffe and Bly would be like, so you’re lucky it’s just Ponds.”

“He’s bad enough,” Cody muttered, giving a weak smile to Mace when Mace looked at him. “He’s our _ori’vod_ , the oldest in our squad by about five minutes, but he still says that’s enough.”

Mace chuckled at that as he pulled the speeder into the Jedi hangar. 

Cody looked out of the window, heart skipping a beat when he saw Ponds and Rex standing there, looking unimpressed. Cody took in a breath, getting out of the speeder. He watched as Ponds came striding over and bowed his shoulders, waiting for Ponds to snap at him. He was surprised when Ponds pulled him into a tight hug, holding him close.

“I am so, so angry at you, little brother,” Ponds muttered into his ear as he reached up to stroke the back of Cody’s head. “But I’m so relieved you’re okay. I was so scared that we were going to lose you.”

“I’m sorry, Ponds,” Cody mumbled against Ponds’s neck. Ponds just squeezed him tighter as Rex came over, reaching over to gently squeeze the back of Cody’s neck as he rested his head against Cody’s shoulder. 

Cody lifted his head as he felt a small, familiar nudge against his mind and saw Obi-Wan hurrying towards them. Cody extracted himself Ponds’s and Rex’s arms and hurried towards Obi-Wan, just needing to be held by him. 

Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around Cody, holding him close as soon as he was in arms reach. Cody wrapped his arms around Obi-Wan, clinging onto him as he buried his face into Obi-Wan’s robes, breathing in his familiar, comforting scent.

“What were you thinking?” Obi-Wan asked him, aghast. “I was so worried about you!”

Cody clung onto him tighter. “I-I’m sorry.”

A hand gently touched Cody’s shoulder and he looked up to see Mace standing there.

“Let’s not talk about this here, Obi-Wan,” Mace said quietly, glancing around the hangar at the workers. Obi-Wan nodded, pulling back slightly from Cody so they could walk, but still close enough so Cody could cling to his arm as they walked from the hangar. 

Mace led them to a nearby meditation room, shutting the door once everyone was inside. He knew he could have taken them to the Council Chambers, but he didn’t want Cody to think he was being interrogated. 

Cody shuddered when all eyes turned to him and he pressed into Obi-Wan’s side, hoping for Obi-Wan to shield him.

“Now, Cody,” Mace began gently. “Why don’t you tell us why you left the Temple?”

“I-I overheard you and Obi-Wan talking,” Cody started, keeping his eyes down on his hands. “I heard you saying that the Chancellor was getting angry at you because you wouldn’t let him see Rex or I…a-and that he was threatening to take action against Obi-Wan...and I couldn’t let that happen.”

Rex blinked in surprise, looking at Ponds when Cody voiced that. Ponds also looked surprised at that news and wrapped an arm around Rex, holding him close.

“Cody,” Obi-Wan began to say but Cody shook his head, pulling away slightly. 

“You should have told us,” Cody told him raggedly. “I-I know you were trying to protect us, but you should have told us!”

“Cody, I knew if we told you, you would want to face him and that was something we couldn’t allow,” Obi-Wan told him, voice firm. “This is _exactly_ what we wanted to avoid!”

Mace gave Obi-Wan a look as Cody’s shoulders bowed in on himself and he pulled the robe around him closer. He understood Obi-Wan had gotten a scare, but he also knew Cody was just as, actually even more so, frightened than he was. 

“Can you tell us why you ran from the Senate?” Mace interjected instead, not letting that back and forth go any further. That could be discussed once everyone was settled.   
Cody frowned as he thought back to the meeting.

“I felt uneasy the whole time,” Cody explained. “I kept feeling like something was _wrong_ but…but I ignored it. I just wanted the Chancellor to see that I was okay, so he didn’t have to threaten you anymore.”

Mace nodded, watching as Obi-Wan rubbed his face, his worried grey eyes fixed on Cody. 

“He asked me if I knew of an order and I told him I didn’t and he seemed angry about it,” Cody continued, frown deepening. “He told me he had had such high hopes for me.”

Fear bolted through Obi-Wan, a sudden, horrible thought coming to mind.

“Cody, what order did he ask you about?” Obi-Wan asked, gaining a sharp look from Mace.

“Order 66, but it wasn’t one I was familiar with,” Cody answered.

“Oh, Force,” Mace whispered, a cold shiver working its way up his spine. Obi-Wan looked equally as shaken. A shaky hand rubbing over his beard as Obi-Wan let out a shaky breath. 

“Mace, what is it?” Ponds asked worriedly as he clutched Rex closer.

“Order 66 is one of the orders we found on the chips,” Mace explained, watching as Obi-Wan shifted closer to Cody, gently resting a hand on his forearm and murmuring reassuringly to him. 

“What would it have made us do?” Rex asked, though part of him didn’t really want to know. 

“It was the order that would have made you turn against the Jedi,” Mace explained. Cody paled at that, looking to Obi-Wan in horror. Obi-Wan sighed and nodded in confirmation. 

“O-Oh,” Cody stammered before paling further. “There was something else too.”

Obi-Wan frowned when he saw how much Cody had paled and the horror in his eyes. 

“Cody, what is it?”

“After I told him I didn’t know what that order was, the Chancellor got us drinks,” Cody continued his story. “It was when he put it down in front of me that something in me snapped. I started to panic, I knew something there was dangerous and I had to get out, I could _sense_ something wasn’t right and that I had to get out!” 

“You sensed something was wrong?” Mace asked curiously, looking to Obi-Wan in thought. 

Cody nodded. “I said as much and then I felt something,” Cody explained, looking to Obi-Wan. “It’s like when I can feel you pressing against my mind, checking that I’m okay…but it felt different.”

“What do you mean?” Obi-Wan asked, feeling his stomach drop at that small explanation. 

“When I feel you in my head, it’s warm and soft…but this, this felt dark, cold and cloying, and it felt like fingers prying at my thoughts,” Cody explained, frustrated as he tried to put it into words. “I remember someone shouting at me to force him out, so I did.”

Obi-Wan startled at that. “Someone told you?”

“I heard it, in my thoughts,” Cody mumbled. “So I did as you instructed me when you taught myself and the men to protect ourselves against Force users, and I threw up shields.”

Mace leaned back against the wall, deep in thought. 

“You sensed something dangerous and then you felt a presence at your mind,” Mace stated. “A Force presence no less.”

“That’s not all,” Cody sighed, sagging in exhaustion. 

“What else is there?” Ponds asked, horrified that there was more. 

“When I threw my shields up and forced whoever that was out, the Chancellor looked shocked,” Cody explained, voice hoarse. “He then looked at me and said ‘You’re Force Sensitive.’ …and that’s when I knew I had to run, that the danger I was in had just tripled, so I ran.”

“The Chancellor…” Obi-Wan whispered, looking to Mace in horror, seeing it reflected in Mace’s eyes.

“We knew he was involved, but this…I didn’t see **this** ,” Mace replied, just as horrified.

“See what?” Ponds asked, looking between them.

“The Chancellor is the Sith Lord.” 

Cody looked to Obi-Wan at that bombshell and just wanted to bury himself in Obi-Wan’s arms until this was over. 

Though, to Cody’s shock and a bit of heartbreak, Obi-Wan just swept from the room without a word. 

Mace sighed, looking to Cody and wincing when he saw the heartbreak on Cody’s face.

“It’s nothing against you,” Mace reassured him. “He’s worried about your safety now.”

Cody sniffled slightly as Ponds and Rex moved over to press against Cody’s sides, reassuring him. 

“W-What do you mean?”

“The Chancellor, the Sith, has sensed the bond between you and Obi-Wan, though he doesn’t know it’s a bond,” Mace explained. “He just saw the Force within you, not where it came from, so now he would be targeting you. I’m certain that is why he was so determined to send the Guard after you.”

Rex shifted closer to Cody at that. Cody pressed his arm firmer against Rex’s as he felt Rex tremble at that. 

“Obi-Wan knows that and he’s scared for you, Cody,” Mace assured him. “That’s all, he isn’t angry at you.”

Cody nodded, watching as Mace nodded to Ponds before he also left the room, needing to call the Council. 

“Come on, Codes,” Ponds murmured. “Let’s go to your apartment. Obi-Wan will be back later and you and I are due for a chat, _vod’ika_.” 

 

Obi-Wan stalked through the Temple, all of the Jedi quickly moving out of his way once they saw the look on his face and felt his emotions swirling around him tumultuously in the Force. 

There were so many thoughts and plans spinning through his head, all of the pros and cons of the many different plans to keep Cody, the clones and the Jedi safe.

He had to get Cody safe, he couldn’t lose him, not now and not to Palpatine. 

A while later, Obi-Wan continued to pace in the war room, having settled on a plan. 

“Fearful you are.”

Obi-Wan sighed at that voice, turning around to see Yoda limping in, eyes firmly on Obi-Wan.

“Of course I am,” Obi-Wan replied as he leaned against the data console. “We just discovered that Palpatine is the Sith lord and he’s fixed on Cody now. How could I not be fearful? How could I not be fearful for Cody’s safety and wellbeing? How could I not fear for the Jedi and the clones safety now after learning that the war was orchestrated by the Sith?” 

“Release your fears you must,” Yoda admonished, gently rapping Obi-Wan’s shins with his gimer stick. “Fear leads to the Darkside.”

Obi-Wan stared at Yoda in disbelief. “We’re not emotionless beings, Master Yoda,” Obi-Wan stated. “We are going to feel fear, we are going to feel anger, we’re not droids…but it’s how we act on it that defines us.”

Yoda just stood there, looking up at Obi-Wan serenely.

“So, yes, I’m _scared_. I’m scared for Cody now that he’s in Palpatine’s sights. He’s done so well to get where he is now, to begin to recover from the abuse he suffered and now there’s this; now he’s being targeted by the Sith…so, yes, I’m fearful of what could happen if Palpatine gets his slimy hands on Cody. I can’t lose him and I can’t see him suffer again,” Obi-Wan broke off weakly. “But I’m not letting this fear stop me, I will find a way to keep him and the others safe so we can focus on stopping Palpatine.” 

Yoda just hummed in response, head tilting slightly as he regarded Obi-Wan.

“To protect him, what length will you go?” Yoda asked. “Sacrifice others to protect him?”

Obi-Wan slumped at that, giving a small shake of his head. 

“No, he would hate me for that,” Obi-Wan murmured, running a hand through his copper hair, messing up the usually perfect style. “I would fight to the death for him but I could never let my love for him blind me.”

Yoda nodded at that. He reached out, gently patting Obi-Wan’s knee.

“To know you love so deeply, warms my heart it does,” Yoda told him. “Relieved that you will not let your love become obsession I am. Protect Cody and the others we will.”

 

Cody was ushered into his apartment with Ponds and Rex close behind him. Ponds settled Cody down on the couch as Rex went to go get them some juice. Cody took off the borrowed robe, standing up and mildly startling Ponds, before he grabbed Obi-Wan’s spare robe from where he had left it folded over the arm of the armchair. Cody pulled it on, wrapping the soft, well-worn robe tightly around himself and inhaling Obi-Wan’s scent. 

“Now, baby brother,” Ponds started, wincing as Cody flinched slightly, glancing up at Ponds as he awaited his rebuke. Ponds reached out and took Cody’s hand as Rex sat on the other side of Cody after he had placed the juice on the table in front of them. “What was going through that big brain of yours?”

“I just…I couldn’t let the Chancellor take away the 212th from Obi-Wan or let him report the Jedi and spread lies, saying they’re abusing us,” Cody explained quietly, voice shaking. He gratefully took the glass that Rex pushed into his hand.

“Oh, Cody,” Ponds sighed, shaking his head. “The Jedi can take care of themselves.”

“I-I just…I couldn’t let them do this for me,” Cody said, shaking his head. “Obi-Wan loves the 212th and the men all adore him. I knew it would destroy Obi-Wan to have them taken from him…and I couldn’t bear to have the 212th given someone else or separated…I-I just couldn’t!”

“Oh, _verd’ika_ ,” Ponds sighed, looking to Rex. Rex just gave a weak smile and pushed Cody to drink, seeing Cody’s hands were still trembling. Cody took in a drink, trying to calm himself. 

“I know you were trying to do what you thought was the right thing,” Ponds continued, “but, baby brother, we were so worried about you! Do you know how close we were to losing you again? This time could have been permanent, especially since the Chancellor’s involved!”

“I know,” Cody mumbled, shoulders slumping. “I just hate being so useless and…and I just thought I could help.”

Rex wrapped his arms around Cody’s waist, nuzzling into Cody’s shoulder. While he was still upset, knowing how close he had been to losing Cody – and knowing how much he would have struggled without him, how broken he would have been – he was also a little annoyed that Cody would do something so foolish in the first place. 

Rex pushed that feeling aside as he buried his nose into Cody’s shoulder, just relieved that Cody was still here with them.

Cody wrapped his arm around Rex, holding him close. 

“I’m okay, Rex’ika, and I’m so sorry I worried you.” 

Rex just held him tighter, letting out a shaky breath. “Don’t do it again, please…I-I can’t lose you, Codes, I _can’t_.”

“I won’t, Rex, I promise,” Cody swore as he turned now, enveloping Rex in a full hug now and holding him close. Ponds rubbed Cody’s back as he held Rex close.

“Good, little brother, because we’re going to hold you to that.”

 

It was late that night and Cody paced around the apartment, looking towards the door. 

Rex was asleep on the couch, not wanting to leave Cody alone, so Fives had gone to stay in the barracks tonight, only giving Rex a soft, understanding smile when Rex had told him and making Rex promise to sit on Cody if he tried anything else. Cody had rolled his eyes at that as Rex promised Fives with a laugh. 

Ponds had also decided to stay, but he had collapsed in Anakin’s old room since Rex claimed the couch. 

Cody smiled softly as Rex gave a soft snore, shifting forward to cover Rex up with Obi-Wan’s robe, tucking him in snuggly. 

Cody sighed as he sat down in the armchair, glancing at the door once more. 

Obi-Wan still hadn’t come back to the apartment. Cody’s heart stuttered at that and he leaned forward, giving a shaky breath as his stomach twisted with guilt and anxiety.   
He hoped that Obi-Wan wasn’t angry at him for sneaking out of the Temple. 

Anxiety doubled at that thought and a cold sweat broke out over Cody’s body.

What if this made Obi-Wan realise that he was a liability? What if this made Obi-Wan realise that Cody was truly damaged and he didn’t want to be with him?

Why would Obi-Wan have been gone so long otherwise, without a word too? 

Cody’s heart was thumping hard in his chest, breaking somewhat as he thought of how he hurt Obi-Wan, how he betrayed his trust to sneak out. 

Cody stood up, pacing once more, unable to calm down. Cody’s breathing was quickened, his hands trembled as restlessness and anxiety flowed through him. 

He needed to get out of here.

He needed to do something, to work off this restless energy and to stop him thinking. 

Cody looked to Rex once more as Rex shifted, giving a sleepy mumble and pulling the robe tighter close around himself. Cody sighed as he realised that if Rex woke up and saw him gone, he would panic. He looked around, finding a piece of flimsi and writing down a message upon it, leaving it on the table in front of Rex, before he quietly left the apartment. 

Cody walked down the silent, empty halls, softly lit by lanterns on the wall, illuminating the dark halls. He headed down to the training salles, knowing almost all Jedi were asleep, save some of the Temple Guards and those prone to being nocturnal. 

He walked into the empty training salle, glancing about the softly lit room. Cody took in a deep breath, relaxing somewhat. 

Something about the training room, bathed in soft light, made something in him relax. 

Cody looked around, spotting training lightsabers on the wall, and gave a small smile. A memory came to him of how Obi-Wan had led him into the gym late one night in the barracks, a cheeky grin on his face. 

Obi-Wan had explained he had cut off the security feed in the gym before presenting Cody with a training lightsaber.

_“Well, we’ve been going over katas, perhaps it’s time to add a lightsaber into the mix, just in case,” Obi-Wan had said cheerfully._

Cody reached out, taking one of the training lightsabers from the wall, testing the weight of it before choosing another, and then another until he found one that felt _right_ and nodding contently, before he headed to the centre of the floor. He breathed out as he ignited the training lightsaber, examining its blue glow, which was only lowered to give stings. 

Breathing out and relaxing his body, Cody shifted into the first stance of the lightsaber kata, closing his eyes as he began to glide through the motions. 

Cody worked up a sweat as he went through the katas, his mind going blank as he focused on his limbs and the movements. 

“Well, this is unexpected.”

Cody startled at the voice, eyes snapping open. He turned around, breathing heavily, looking towards the speaker.

Cin Drallig was walking towards him, eyebrow raised as he took in Cody standing there, training lightsaber lit, a sheen of sweat covering his face, reflected in the blue glow of the lightsaber, and breathing heavily. 

“You are quite graceful with those katas,” Drallig said simply as he stopped before Cody. “Strong, solid movements, yet there's a sweeping grace to them.” 

Cody just blinked, flushing slightly at the words.

“An interesting colour choice too,” Drallig continued. “Did you grab the first one or did you find the one that felt right?”

“The one that felt right,” Cody answered, unsure, blade still lit in front of him. Drallig nodded thoughtfully, smiling slightly.

“It suits you,” Drallig told him. “A blue blade is generally wielded by one more typical to fight for justice and protection; guardians of the Light, much like Obi-Wan – isn’t that right, Master Yoda?”

Cody startled at that, going pale as he looked around, seeing the elder Jedi Master standing in the doorway.

“Yes, very much so,” Yoda answered as he hobbled into the room. Cody deactivated the training lightsaber, looking in between the two respected Jedi.

“I-I’m sorry,” Cody apologized quickly. “I-I know I’m just a clone, but I was just trying to calm myself, I didn’t mean to disrespect you by using this, I promise.”

Drallig’s gaze softened as Cody rambled before looking to Yoda, seeing Yoda’s ears had drooped slightly as he caught sight of Cody’s trembling.

“Teach you this, did Obi-Wan?” Yoda asked softly instead.

Cody nodded, swallowing harshly. “Y-Yes, sir, he taught me katas to help me clear my mind when I was feeling anxious. He added in the training lightsaber later, saying I ended up with his lightsaber enough…and that he trusted me to use it if necessary.”

Yoda nodded, gesturing for Cody to kneel. Cody did so and Yoda hobbled closer, reaching out to rest a clawed hand on Cody’s shoulder.

“Anxious you are,” he said softly. “Scared.”

Cody nodded once again, eyes turning to the mat under him. “I-I haven’t seen Obi-Wan since I told him what happened…and I’m scared he doesn’t want me anymore because I was stupid and I betrayed his trust and…”

Yoda gently shushed him, glancing to Drallig who was frowning.

“Loves you Obi-Wan does,” Yoda told him. “Loves you more than anyone I have ever seen, he does.”

“It’s true,” Drallig added. “We’ve all seen how happier Obi-Wan has become, how much healthier he has become, since you’ve been in his life.”

“Angry at you he is not,” Yoda continued gently. “Worried about you he is, so worried. He does not want to lose you.”

Cody nodded, reaching up to scrub at his eyes as they burned and watered, not wanting Yoda and Drallig, two respected Jedi, to see him cry.

There was a small clearing of the throat near the doorway and Cody glanced up, seeing Obi-Wan standing there, looking worried.

“Is everything okay?” Obi-Wan asked, concerned, as he quickly walked over.

“Yes, talking we were,” Yoda answered, gently petting Cody’s shoulder. 

“Yes,” Drallig agreed. “I was telling Cody that he has great form when it comes to lightsaber katas…and, Cody, you are welcome here anytime to use the training lightsabers. I will be honoured to teach you some more forms if you’re interested.”

Cody blinked, surprised but gave a shy nod. Drallig called the training lightsaber to his own hand with the Force, smiling warmly at him.

“I’ll put it back,” he said. “I think you and Obi-Wan need to talk.”

Obi-Wan smiled at Cody, offering a hand to help him up. Cody smiled back weakly and took it, allowing Obi-Wan to pull him to his feet.

“T-Thank you,” Cody said softly, looking to Yoda and Drallig. Yoda smiled, giving a nod.

“Most welcome, you are.”

Obi-Wan led Cody from the training salles, Cody’s hand tucked in the crook of Obi-Wan’s elbow, with Obi-Wan resting his free hand on top of Cody’s.

They had much to discuss.

“Cody truly does have a great form,” Drallig said once they left, sounding thoughtful. “Not to mention I’ve heard his midichlorian count isn’t bad.”

Yoda gave Drallig a searching look. “Saying what, are you?”

“That maybe we should look into giving Cody proper training,” Drallig replied, folding his arms across his chest. “Not to be a Padawan, but just to help further his skills and talent.”

“Discuss this later, we will,” Yoda sighed, looking back to the door where Obi-Wan and Cody had disappeared out of. “For now, the future is uncertain.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took a little bit longer, but it's also slightly longer than usual :)


	42. The Truth

Cody glanced at Obi-Wan as they continued their silent trek to their apartment, watching as the low lit lanterns threw shadows across Obi-Wan’s face, accentuating his cheekbones and the soft lines of his beard. Obi-Wan glanced at him as they reached the apartment, giving him a small smile, before he opened the door. Obi-Wan gave a small chuckle as he spotted Rex sprawled out on the couch on his back, limbs askew and snoring gently. Obi-Wan walked over to Rex, rearranging the robe over Rex and tucking it in, making sure Rex was warm, before he turned to Cody, who was still standing by the door, unsure. 

“Come, love, let’s talk,” Obi-Wan murmured, offering his hand. Cody gave a small nod, walking over to take Obi-Wan’s hand. He paused for a moment, reaching out to take the note he had written next and stuffed it into his pocket before following Obi-Wan into their bedroom, with Obi-Wan turning off the lights as they went. 

Obi-Wan closed the door behind them, letting go of Cody’s hand.

“Why don’t you have a shower and get ready for bed, love? We’ll talk then.”

Cody gave a small nod, though he just wanted to speak and get this over and done with. He headed into the bathroom as Obi-Wan stayed in the bedroom, getting changed himself.

Cody sighed as he activated the water shower, undressing slowly, his mind rolling thoughts around and around in his head. Cody sighed, stepping into the warm spray and leaning against the wall, his body relaxing and knots unknotting under the hot, steady spray of water. 

He washed off the sweat that had accumulated during the kata exercises, hoping to wash away all the nervousness he felt, but it was a loss as he felt his heart beating hard in his chest.

Sighing, Cody turned off the water and got out, drying himself off and getting changed into the soft, black pyjama set. Cody slowly scrubbed the towel through his hair, trying to calm down his breathing and prepare himself for the upcoming conversation with Obi-Wan.

All the terrible thoughts went through his head; thoughts that Obi-Wan would be angry at him, wouldn’t want to be with him anymore since he could see Cody was so willing to disobey orders, to go against everything that Obi-Wan and the Jedi had done for him.

“Cody?” Obi-Wan’s gentle voice called out. “I can feel you panicking in there, it’s okay.”

Cody breathed in once more, placing the towel in the basket before he walked out. Obi-Wan was sitting on the bed and smiled gently at Cody when Cody walked out of the bathroom.

“Hello there, my love,” Obi-Wan murmured, gently offering his hand again. Cody walked over, taking Obi-Wan’s hand and climbing into bed beside him. Obi-Wan gently shifted and opened his arms. Cody immediately fell into them, clinging tightly to him. Obi-Wan cradled Cody in his arms, gently shushing him and holding him close, and rocking him.

“Oh, love, I’m not angry at you, I promise,” Obi-Wan murmured, kissing his forehead softly. “I was just so worried about you that I couldn’t spare a second, I had to make sure you were safe.” 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Cody whispered as he buried his face into Obi-Wan’s shoulder. 

“Oh, my dearest, it’ll be okay,” Obi-Wan murmured, gently stroking Cody’s back. “I shouldn’t have left without making sure you were okay, but I was so worried about you. I don’t want to lose you, Cody, not to him.”

Cody shivered, clinging onto Obi-Wan, but calming slightly at Obi-Wan’s reassuring words.

“I’ve managed to work out a plan, well, most of it,” Obi-Wan murmured. “So in two days, you, Rex, Ghost and Torrent Company will be leaving Coruscant until it’s safe.”

Cody shot upwards, looking at Obi-Wan with wide, panicked amber eyes.

“You’re sending me away,” Cody breathed, heart stuttering in his chest, feeling like it was breaking. “You don’t want me.”

“No, Cody, that isn’t the reason,” Obi-Wan crooned gently, as he took Cody’s hands and squeezed them softly. “I want you, of course I do, I love you so much…but I’m sending you away to protect you.”

“Why can’t I help you?” Cody asked desperately. “I’m still a soldier!”

“I know, dear one, I know,” Obi-Wan murmured, reaching up to stroke Cody’s cheek. “We’re going to go after the Sith Lord, Cody, who has his sights on _you_. If I know you’re somewhere safe, somewhere he can’t get you, I can just focus on making sure we take him down instead of worrying that’ll he come for you if we fail.”

“But…but…”

“I know you don’t want to go, Cody, but I promise as soon as it’s safe I _will_ come for you to bring you home,” Obi-Wan promised. “I just need you to be safe.”

Cody gave a soft sob and collapsed forward onto Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan made a noise in his throat as he wrapped his arms around Cody and pulled him close so he could cradle Cody in his lap. 

“I-I’m sorry,” Cody whimpered, scrubbing at his eyes. “I-I don’t know why I’m crying.”

“You’ve had a scary day, love, I’m not surprised your emotions are catching up with you,” Obi-Wan murmured. 

“I-I was just so scared that you were going to say you didn’t love me and that’s why you were sending me away,” Cody rushed. 

“No, no, no, that’s not the reason at all, Cody!” Obi-Wan promised as he held him tighter, pressing a kiss against Cody’s forehead. “I can’t bear to lose you, Cody, that’s why I’m making sure you’re safe. I still love you, my _cyar’ika_ , I still adore you and I still want to marry you and spend the rest of my days with you.”

Cody gave a small sob and buried his face back into Obi-Wan’s chest. Obi-Wan frowned, looking around and trying to think of a way he could reassure Cody. Obi-Wan smiled as he spotted his datapad on the desk and lifted a hand, calling it over to him with the Force. 

“I promise you, I still love you, Cody,” Obi-Wan told him firmly. “I promise you…and I want to show you something, to prove to you that I will bring you back as soon as you’re safe, that I want our life together.”

Cody peered out from Obi-Wan’s chest at that, seeing Obi-Wan’s soft smile. Obi-Wan shifted Cody slightly so Cody could see the datapad.

“Do you remember that night in my bunk when we spoke about our future?” Obi-Wan asked him softly. “Do you remember that we spoke about the home we would have together?”

Cody nodded, sniffling slightly. “Yes,” he whispered. “It’s what kept me going when I was Tram’s prisoner.”

Obi-Wan buried his nose into Cody’s hair at that, inhaling deeply and collecting himself, before he activated the datapad.

“Well, once you accepted my proposal, I got to thinking about our future a lot more, especially since it was in reach now,” Obi-Wan continued, fingers gently tapping on the datapad and bringing up an image of a cottage surrounded by woods. Cody frowned as he saw it, looking to Obi-Wan.

“What is this?” he asked.

“Well, I asked Bail and Padme if they could help me find us a home,” Obi-Wan told him, smiling. “They’ve been getting me a list of houses so we could go over them together and choose our future home.”

Cody looked back at the picture, blinking in surprise. A warmth spread through him, his anxiety and low self-esteem being quashed for now, as he thought of Obi-Wan asking Padme and Bail to help find a home for them both, so they could be together and live happily. 

“Obi,” Cody whispered, turning so he could wrap his arms around Obi-Wan once more. Obi-Wan smiled, placing the datapad aside and wrapping his arms around Cody and cradling him close. 

“I love you, Cody, so, so much,” Obi-Wan murmured into Cody’s hair. “I just want you to be safe, that’s all.”

Cody nodded, breathing out as he relaxed in Obi-Wan’s arms. He still didn’t want to leave, but he was relieved that Obi-Wan still loved him. 

 

Ahsoka frowned as she watched Obi-Wan walk into the hangar and over to Anakin, gently touching Anakin’s arm to get his attention. Anakin blinked, nodding at what Obi-Wan said before he followed Obi-Wan from the hangar. 

“What’s wrong?” 

Ahsoka glanced at Barriss as Barriss pulled herself up to sit on the crate beside her, looking over the hangar as the workers, clones and Jedi worked on the different craft within it. 

“Obi-Wan looks so worried,” Ahsoka sighed. “I had never seen him look so worried than he was yesterday after Master Windu brought Cody back…and now there’s something else bothering him and the other Masters too.”

“Oh,” Barriss murmured. 

“I mean, he was scared when Cody was kidnapped, but yesterday he was even more worried,” Ahsoka continued, frowning. “I think because we got Cody back and then to almost lose him again…I think that would’ve broken Obi-Wan.”

Barriss frowned at Ahsoka at that. “Jedi aren’t meant to have attachments.”

“No, we’re not meant to let them get obsessive,” Ahsoka countered, giving Barriss a look. “How can they not expect us to get attached to our Masters, to our friends? I know Master Windu is attached to Ponds and Skyguy is married – I know even you know that now – and Obi-Wan loves Cody…and I struggled a lot when Rex was taken, ‘cause Rex is one of my best friends.”

Barriss looked thoughtful at that, looking back over the hangar.

“I care about you too, Barriss,” Ahsoka said quietly. “You’re one of my best friends too.”

“Do the Council know about Master Kenobi and Cody?” Barriss asked quietly. Ahsoka nodded.

“They’ve known about them since Cody was kidnapped,” Ahsoka explained. “They helped him get Cody back and have helped Cody and Rex get better. They’re also reconsidering the rules on attachment.”

Barriss looked startled at that and Ahsoka smiled, looking back over the hangar.

“The Jedi are changing and I know it’s for the better,” Ahsoka murmured. “I…I just hope everything okay. I mean, after everything that’s happened, Obi-Wan and Cody deserve to be happy…we all do.”

 

Anakin frowned as Obi-Wan led him into the Council Chambers where Mace, Yoda and Kit were standing and talking quietly to one another. 

“Obi-Wan?” Anakin asked, worried now as he looked to Obi-Wan.

“Have a seat, Skywalker,” Mace said, indicating to one of the council seats. Anakin cast a curious look at Obi-Wan but sat in Master Mundi’s chair. 

“Anakin, when Cody came back yesterday, he brought us back some troubling news,” Obi-Wan started softly.

“I know the Chancellor sent the Guard after him,” Anakin said slowly, looking around. “I heard the chatter.”

“Yes, but it’s the reason why he sent the Guard after Cody that troubles us,” Kit spoke up, his usual smile missing. 

“Sith Lord, the Chancellor is,” Yoda stated. Anakin stared at them all in disbelief.

“Wait…what?!” Anakin exclaimed. “I get that there’s something wrong with him, but a Sith?! The Sith Master?!” 

Obi-Wan told Anakin of what had happened in the Chancellor’s office, how Cody had panicked and then felt the presence pushing in his mind before Palpatine had stated that Cody was Force Sensitive in shock. 

Anakin just listened, eyes wide with disbelief. 

When Obi-Wan had finished talking, Anakin just buried his head in his hands, shaking his head. Mace exchanged a look with Obi-Wan and Obi-Wan walked over to Anakin’s side, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“I-I thought he was my friend,” Anakin whispered, “but after everything that’s happened lately…well, I guess it’s not so surprising.”

“Dear one,” Obi-Wan murmured.

“I thought he was my friend, Obi-Wan,” Anakin repeated, looking up and meeting Obi-Wan’s gaze. “But he was just using me, wasn’t he?”

“I’m sorry, Anakin,” Obi-Wan murmured, shaking his head. “I should have never let that man anywhere near you.”

Anakin stood up, enfolding Obi-Wan in his arms and squeezing him tightly.

“Wasn’t your fault,” Anakin mumbled in Obi-Wan’s ear. “I know you looked out for me, to make sure he wouldn’t hurt me, but you couldn’t go against the Chancellor’s demands, not as a newly knighted Jedi.”

“As touching as this is,” Mace spoke up carefully. “We need to discuss our plan for going ahead.”

Anakin nodded, pulling back from Obi-Wan. Mace eyed Anakin carefully, a little surprised at how well he was taking this – but he guessed that after everything that the Chancellor had done recently, to show his true colours, and how Anakin had sensed something was off with him, that it wasn’t too much of a reach that the Chancellor was a Sith. 

“Well, he doesn’t have control of the clones anymore,” Anakin said bitterly. “He doesn’t suspect that the chips have been discovered, has he? I mean, since Cody’s didn’t activate?”

“No, he questioned Cody if he received a head injury and Cody just conceded to that. Palpatine was convinced,” Obi-Wan said quietly. 

“So, what’s our plan?” Anakin asked, looking at them. “When are we going to get him so we can end this war?”

“Careful, we need to be,” Yoda admonished Anakin. 

“He has his sights on Cody,” Obi-Wan said, rubbing his beard. “So, we need to get Cody and the others off planet.”

“You have a plan already?” Kit asked as he sat down, watching Obi-Wan curiously.

“Yes, I organised all of this last night,” Obi-Wan sighed tiredly. “Cody, Rex and the members of Ghost and Torrent will be picked up by a trusted ally and taken to a secure location. Master Plo and Wolffe will be in the system nearby to that location in case of any issues. The left over members of the 501st and 212th will be split in between reinforcing the Temple and securing the Senate building once we go in for the Sith.”

“Okay, so once Cody and the others are safe, how are we taking down the Sith?” Anakin asked. 

“Well, this is something we need to be careful about,” Mace sighed as he also sat down, feeling drained. “We can’t just go in and arrest or kill the Chancellor – depending on the situation – or we could risk being condemned for it.”

“So we need to show the Republic Palpatine’s true colours and that he was the one who orchestrated this war,” Anakin said thoughtfully, blue eyes narrowed in thought. “Can we record what goes on in his office?”

Kit perked up at that. “Can Echo get us access to the cameras again?”

“No, we can’t access the Chancellor’s security feed again,” Obi-Wan explained. “After Echo got in the first time, the Chancellor updated his security system so we can’t get in without him knowing.”

“What if we place our own cameras?” Anakin asked, looking at their surprised faces. “We can stream what happens inside the office to the Republic, so they can see everything that happens, and the Chancellor wouldn’t be any the wiser.”

“The only thing is we need to get him to talk,” Mace spoke up, glancing to Yoda. “And then how to take him down without him killing any of us.”

“Do you think he could?” Anakin asked, surprised. “He’s so old.”

“We can’t underestimate him,” Kit told Anakin. “Look at everything he has done under our noses.”

Yoda gave a thoughtful hum, green eyes landing on Obi-Wan. “A plan, I might have.”

 

Fives walked into Rex’s apartment, glancing around. He gave a sad smile as he spotted movement in the kitchen. He walked over and leaned against the bench, watching as Rex moved around.

“Hello, _cyare_ ,” Fives greeted. “Rough night?”

Rex glanced at him, giving a weak smile as he placed yet another tray of cookies next to the ones already sitting on the bench and cooling. 

“Cody has gotten me worried,” Rex admitted. “After everything that happened yesterday…I’m just worried about him.”

Fives nodded in understanding. “How did last night go?”

“He was scared,” Rex sighed heavily, leaning against the bench, resting for a moment. “He was scared and he felt guilty because he just wanted to help because he felt useless…so his emotions are a mess. He was worried about Obi-Wan’s reaction, but when I woke up this morning they were both sitting close to each other at the table and holding hands, so I think that worry has gone.”

“Obi-Wan has called for Ghost and Torrent to meet him later,” Fives said carefully. “Do you know what’s going on?”

Rex sighed, giving a small nod. 

“Obi-Wan told us that he was going to send a few of us away to keep Cody safe,” Rex explained quietly. “We’re leaving tomorrow.”

Fives blinked in surprise but nodded. He knew that the Chancellor had sent the Guard after Cody, so he was in danger from the Chancellor, so getting Cody off planet would be the best option to keep him safe – and there was no way that Obi-Wan would split up Cody and Rex, plus they need protection, so sending Ghost and Torrent with them would be the best option. 

“Well, what are you going to do with all of this food then?” Fives asked lightly, grinning at him. Rex gave him a smile back, relaxing.

“We can take some of it with us, keep us fed and happy on the way to wherever we’re going,” Rex laughed softly. 

“Excellent,” Fives said as he rounded the bench, opening his arms. Rex took that invitation, moving into Fives’s arms and letting Fives hold him. “We’re going to be so well fed on our trip.” 

Rex chuckled at that, burying his face into Fives’s shoulder. Fives held him closer, gently nuzzling Rex’s soft hair, still cut short.

“We’re going to be okay,” Five reassured him. “We’ll keep you and Cody safe and we’ll be back on Coruscant once the Jedi have sorted out whatever is putting you in danger.”

 

Later that afternoon, members of Ghost and Torrent companies gathered in the war room. Cody and Rex were also there, with Rex leaning against Fives’s side as they waited for the Jedi to come. 

Obi-Wan, Anakin and Mace walked in and the clones all snapped to attention.

“At ease, men,” Mace said as he walked over to the main console and activated a jammer. It couldn't hurt to be overly cautious. 

Obi-Wan looked over them, seeing Boil and Waxer looking concerned and glancing at Cody worriedly. Jesse had his arm around Kix protectively while Hardcase was pressed close to Tup, who was chewing on his bottom lip, looking unsure. Echo and Hevy were murmuring to each other, both frowning, as Puck stood next to Fives and Rex, frowning. Wooley, Crys and Helix were standing near Cody, looking protective. 

Obi-Wan stepped up and all eyes snapped to him.

“Gentlemen, we have a problem,” Obi-Wan told them. He told them of their new suspicions due to what the Chancellor has said to Cody.

“Wait, the Chancellor is the Sith Lord?” Helix asked, shocked. “But…why?!”

“He tried to activate Cody’s chip,” Obi-Wan explained. “He knows about the chip and he sensed the Force within Cody, but not that it mostly came from the bond we share. He’s after Cody because of that now.”

“The reason why he’s done all of this is because he’s a Sith,” Mace reiterated. “They do things for power and he’s in the highest position of power possible.”

“He’s also in a position to undermine the Jedi, to force us to do his bidding and fight the war he has orchestrated,” Anakin said bitterly, arms folded across his chest. “While others might not think this is not evidence, it is for us. He has shown he has knowledge of the chips, that he can use the Force and Dooku did say that the Sith controlled the Senate.”

The clones all exchanged wary looks at that. 

“There’s just too many things that lead back to him, not to mention the power has been accumulating, long after his term was meant to end,” Obi-Wan continued.

“So, what’s the plan, General?” Boil asked, straightening up.

“Well, we’ve established that he’s interested in Cody now,” Obi-Wan stated. “So to keep him out of Palpatine’s reach and to protect Rex, who he may target next, we’re sending you away.”

“Why might he target me?” Rex asked worriedly as Fives clutched him tighter. 

“We went to such an effort to find you and Cody,” Mace explained. “Then Palpatine senses the Force through Cody, so what could he be thinking? One of the possibilities is that he might believe Rex might be Force sensitive as well and that’s why we went to such an effort to save you and Cody.”

“To protect the Force sensitive clones,” Rex finished, shaking his head in disgust. “I could see him thinking that.” 

“So, you and Cody will be sent to a secure location with Ghost and Torrent companies escorting you,” Obi-Wan explained. “The rest of the 501st and 212th will be split in between reinforcing the Temple and the Senate building once it’s time.” 

“Sir,” Puck spoke up hesitantly.

“Yes, Puck?”

“With all due respect, I would like to request to remain behind with the 501st to help reinforce the Temple,” Puck said carefully. “You already have two medics going to keep Cody and Rex safe, I believe I could be of help here to help out in the aftermath.”

Obi-Wan nodded, conceding to that request. “Of course, Puck. After this meeting, I’ll have you report to our head Healer, Master Vokara Che.”

“So where are going, General?” Waxer asked. “And how are we getting there?”

“You’re going to Mandalore,” Obi-Wan told them. “You’ll be kept safe there, but the armour must be left behind. It was a term of the Duchess’s, but she is quite steadfast that you go to Mandalore and be under her protection since the Republic nor the Separatists would be able to touch you without starting a major incident with the Neutral systems.”

“And how are we getting there?” Echo repeated Waxer’s earlier question.

“A friend has arranged transport to get you off of Coruscant and to Mandalore, and I also have an ally to escort you there and to keep you safe on Mandalore,” Obi-Wan gave a wry smile at that, as though trying not to smirk at a private thought. 

“Meet at the Temple at 5am tomorrow morning,” Obi-Wan ordered them. “Go get what you need, but bags with civilian clothes will also be provided to you once you arrive. Master Skimble has been busy collecting and making clothes that will fit you all.”

The clones all dispersed then, with Torrent following Rex to his apartment, since most of them had clothes stored in the apartment they used. Puck made his way to the Halls of Healing to present himself to Vokara Che. 

Cody murmured reassurances to Ghost Company before they left to gather what they needed and Boil and Waxer went to speak to Gregor, who they would leave in charge of the 212th and who they knew could be trusted.

Cody watched them leave before turning to Obi-Wan, who was leaning against the holo-table, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“I’m going to go update Ahsoka,” Anakin murmured to Obi-Wan. “She’s going to be part of the Temple guard team.”

“Yes, I must speak to Ponds,” Mace agreed, glancing in between Cody and Obi-Wan. “Another vaapad session later, Skywalker?”

“Of course, Master Windu,” Anakin said as they walked towards the door. “Knowing what’s coming, I’m going to need it.”

Cody settled down beside Obi-Wan, resting his head on Obi-Wan’s shoulder. Obi-Wan took Cody’s hand and squeezed it.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes, basking in the warmth and love that Cody’s Force signature emitted, feeling comforted by it. He hated having to send Cody away, but he knew if Cody was still on Coruscant he wouldn’t be able to focus since he’d be worried about Palpatine getting his grubby dark hands on him.

At least on Mandalore, Obi-Wan knew Cody would be safe and he focus his attention on Palpatine and getting rid of him once and for all. 

However, Obi-Wan still felt his heart ache at the knowledge that he had to send Cody away and with every passing second, that time was getting closer and it left Obi-Wan’s heart feeling heavy and sad. 

So with everything organised, for tomorrow at least, Obi-Wan could spend every last minute with Cody…and he was planning on enjoying every second, not knowing what the next few days would bring.

Or if he’d even survive it at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, okay, getting there now :D


	43. A Familiar Face

Palpatine frowned as he looked over the reports. The Coruscant Guard hadn’t been able to find Cody yet and Palpatine was growing concerned that Cody would get back to the Temple. 

He looked up as Commander Fox walked in, helmet tucked under his arm. 

“Chancellor,” Fox greeted, bowing slightly. “You called for me?”

“Ah yes, Commander Fox,” Palpatine said, leaning back. “Have you found CC-2224 yet?”

“Not yet, your Excellence,” Fox sighed, shaking his head. “We’ve gotten reports and surveillance hits that show he’s in the lower levels. He’s changed outfits and somehow continues to evade the Guard.”

Palpatine frowned at that. “Where was he last spotted?”

Fox pulled up the report on his comm, frowning as he read the report.

“Sublevel 35,” Fox read. “He was spotted by one of our surveillance droids.”

Fox pulled up the grainy image, showing a clone with a scar around his eye peering out from under a hood.

“I’ve got the men scouring the levels, making sure he can’t leave Coruscant.”

Palpatine nodded, frowning. 

“Good job, Commander, keep up the search and make sure he doesn’t escape,” Palpatine ordered. “I fear he could be in danger so I want him found.”

Fox snapped to attention, nodding. “Of course, sir, I will double our efforts.”

Fox left the office once he was dismissed, jamming the bucket back on his head once he left. 

It was only once he stepped into the elevator that he allowed himself to relax, breathing out. 

It seemed the Chancellor still didn’t suspect that Cody was safe in the Temple. After all, it was so easy to fake a scar…and there were so, so many clones identical to Cody to fool the surveillance droids.

Now, he could only hope that Cody remained where he was meant to and out of Palpatine’s reach.

 

Obi-Wan cradled Cody in his arms, humming as traced Cody’s scar with soft, reverent finger tips. Cody sighed, curling up closer. He didn’t want to leave tomorrow. He didn’t want to leave Obi-Wan. 

“Don’t make me go,” Cody begged once more. 

“Oh, Cody,” Obi-Wan murmured, stroking Cody’s hair. “I wish the situation was different, but it isn’t and I have to make sure you’re safe.”

“What about you though?”

“I’ll be with the other Jedi,” Obi-Wan assured him. “It’ll be okay and I’ll bring you home as soon as it’s safe.”

Cody shivered, clinging closer. He knew he couldn’t change Obi-Wan’s mind, not now. Obi-Wan went back to tracing Cody’s scar. Cody sighed, relaxing in Obi-Wan’s hold as Obi-Wan traced his scar, comforted by Obi-Wan’s warmth and familiar calloused fingers. 

Obi-Wan knew that there was a chance he wouldn’t survive this, though he would try his hardest to make sure that that wasn’t the case – but even so, there was still a chance that this would be the last time he saw Cody and he wanted Cody to know how much he loved and adored him. 

“ _Never knew I could feel like this_ ," Obi-Wan sang softly, surprising Cody, who looked up at Obi-Wan. It was rare to hear Obi-Wan sing, but Cody always loved the sound of his voice, the way his voice lowered and raised, lilting as he sung with emotion.

 _“Like I've never seen the sky before_  
_I want to vanish inside your kiss_  
_Every day I'm loving you more and more_  
_Listen to my heart, can you hear it sing_  
_Telling me to give you everything_  
_Seasons may change, winter to spring_  
_But I will love you until the end of time_ ,” Obi-Wan leaned down, gently kissing Cody’s forehead here, making Cody smile softly.

 

_“Come what may_  
_Come what may_  
_I will love you until my dying day_ " 

" _Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place_  
_Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace_  
_Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste_  
_It all revolves around you_  
_And there's no mountain too high_  
_No river too wide_  
_Sing out this song I'll be there by your side_  
_Storm clouds may gather_  
_And stars may collide_  
_But I will love you until the end of time_ ,” Obi-Wan gently nudged Cody’s chin, prompting him. He knew that Cody had a good voice, one that he rarely heard unless he was singing _Vode An_ with his brothers. Cody gave a small smile and a nod.

“ _Come what may_ ,” Cody’s deeper voice joined in with Obi-Wan’s, complimenting Obi-Wan’s gentle tones. 

“ _Come what may_  
_I will love you until my dying day_

_Oh, come what may, come what may_  
_I will love you, I will love you_  
_Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place_

_Come what may_  
_Come what may_  
_I will love you until my dying day_ ,”

Cody curled closer to Obi-Wan as they finished with Obi-Wan hugging him tighter.

“You’re not going to leave me for a long time yet though, aren’t you?” Cody asked quietly. “You’re going to survive this fight, I know you will.”

“Of course, love,” Obi-Wan murmured, pressing his lips against Cody’s temple. He could feel Cody relaxing in his arms and he couldn’t bring himself to say the goodbye, just in case. 

He couldn’t worry Cody like that, knowing Cody didn’t want to leave enough as it was. If he told Cody of his concerns, then Cody would never leave and Obi-Wan would be so much more worried and distracted by Cody’s safety. 

For now…they had tonight.

 

Cody picked up his bag early the next morning, before the sun had risen, looking to Obi-Wan sadly. Obi-Wan just smiled reassuringly at him.

“Come on,” he said quietly. “The others will be on their way.”

Cody sighed, nodding resignedly. A warm hand slid into his own, squeezing it. Cody looked up, looking to Obi-Wan and squeezed his hand in return. 

“As soon as it’s safe, you’ll come home,” Obi-Wan promised him. Cody nodded, leaning against Obi-Wan’s side. 

“Come, love, let’s go.”

Cody hung onto Obi-Wan’s hand as they made their way towards the hangar, not wanting to let him go. 

They soon arrived at the hangar – too soon for Cody’s liking – seeing some of the others were already there. 

Rex and Fives were talking to Ponds and Mace, while Kit was laughing with Echo, Hardcase, Kix, Jesse and Tup. Obi-Wan and Cody walked over to Mace, Fives, Rex and Ponds. Rex smiled when he saw Cody. 

“We’re almost all here,” Mace said, looking around. “I believe Ghost are on their way now.” 

“The three transports are ready too,” Ponds spoke up, reaching over to take Cody’s free hand. “We’ll meet at the rendezvous.” 

“We’re splitting up?” Cody asked, surprised. 

“Best not to have you all on the same transport, just in case we’re being watched,” Obi-Wan explained. Cody nodded, looking to Rex again, who gave him a small, but reassuring smile. 

Ghost Company soon arrived, all of them dressed in civilian clothes. 

“Master Skimble has clothes for you all,” Obi-Wan told them, pointing to a pile of duffle bags. “Choose one and take it with you.”

Yoda had limped in as the clones chose a bag, all of them gathering together. 

“Bring you back, we will, as soon as it’s safe,” Yoda told them. “Want you home and want you safe, we do. Go now, be safe, and may the Force be with you.”

Anakin and Ahsoka arrived then, late as always, giving Obi-Wan a sheepish smile. 

They separated onto different transports, with Ghost going with Master Windu and Torrent going with Master Fisto and Ahsoka. Cody, Rex, Ponds and Fives went with Obi-Wan and Anakin. 

Cody watched as the other two transports split away, going off in different directions. 

“We’ll meet up at the landing pad,” Obi-Wan reassured them. “It’ll just look suspicious if all three transports went to the same place.”

“Like a shell game then,” Fives murmured. Obi-Wan nodded, smiling.

“Just like that.”

“Why couldn’t we leave from the Temple?” Rex asked curiously. Anakin looked to Obi-Wan at that question too, eyebrow raised.

“Because that transport would have to be registered to the Jedi,” Obi-Wan explained. “We don’t want to leave any trails if we can avoid it.”

Cody shivered at that, leaning against Obi-Wan’s side. Obi-Wan wrapped his arm around Cody’s waist, holding him close. Ponds smiled sadly at that. 

“Ah, we’re here,” Obi-Wan murmured. “And looks like our friends are here too.”

Fives leaned over, looking at the landing pad where a large ship was waiting.

“Is that Senator Organa?” Fives asked, surprised.

“Yes, he got us the ship,” Obi-Wan said, smiling. Their transport landed at the far end of the platform and they all got off, heading to meet Bail. Bail turned and smiled at them, though he looked tired.

“The ship is here,” Bail told them. “Your _friends_ picked it up on Alderaan to bring it here too, so they’re on board.”

Obi-Wan nodded, sighing. “Thank you for this, Bail.”

“I just want to see them safe,” Bail answered. “Though I am concerned about the reason why.”

“Yes, we’ll discuss that back at the Temple,” Obi-Wan murmured. “We’ve discovered something else.”

Bail nodded, looking up as Kit’s and Mace’s transports landed and they disembarked. 

“No problems?” Obi-Wan asked. Kit shook his head.

“None whatsoever…unless you count Hardcase falling over,” Kit answered with a grin. Hardcase grumbled from where he was standing as Ahsoka giggled. Bail nodded absently, looking around at the lightening sky, seeing that the number of speeders were starting to increase as Coruscant woke up for the day. 

“I’ll go get your friend,” Bail said, nodding to the other Jedi before he walked into the ship. Obi-Wan looked to Cody, finding he was being hugged tightly by Ponds.

“Take care, _vod’ika_ ,” Ponds murmured as he held Cody close. “We’ll get you home soon, so keep out of trouble, yes?”

“I will, Ponds.”

“Good,” Ponds answered, letting Cody go so he could hug Rex just as tightly. Rex squeezed him back, chuckling.

“You keep out of mischief too,” Ponds warned him, “and watch out for each other.”

“Always, Pon’ika,” Rex promised, squeezing Ponds tighter and causing Ponds to swat at him playfully.

Cody looked to the ship, eyes widening in shock when he saw who was coming down the ramp with Bail.

“ _Buir?_ ” Cody breathed. 

Jango grinned at Cody as he approached. 

“Good to see you, Kote,” he said, before looking around and grimacing. “Really, Kenobi, you brought the Jedi who tried to gut me?”

Windu raised an eyebrow. “If I wanted you dead, you would have never left Geonosis.” 

“And you’re trusting the man who tried to kill my wife?” Anakin grumbled. Jango tilted his head.

“And who is your wife?” he asked curiously. “There’s only one target that I didn’t end up killing and that’s Amidala…and if I really wanted her dead, I would have done it myself.”

Anakin went to growl when Obi-Wan gave him a look, making him sulk.

“Now’s not the time,” Obi-Wan said hurriedly. “Jango, you need to get them safe. They’re not safe on Coruscant or any Republic worlds.”

“I’ll get them safe,” Jango promised, arms folding across his chest. “I’ve got friends in _Slave I_ who will escort us there and then one of them will take it to a nearby system in case we need him.”

Obi-Wan nodded, sighing tiredly. Jango caught the sadness in his eyes as he looked to Cody.

“You’re doing the right thing, Kenobi,” Jango told him gruffly. “You know they’re not safe here.”

“Doesn’t make it easier,” Obi-Wan just murmured. Jango gave a small, agreeing grunt in reply. 

“I have pilots waiting at your arrival location to bring the ship back,” Bail told Jango. Jango nodded, offering his hand. Bail took it, slightly surprised. 

“Thanks for the help,” Jango told him. “Not all politicians are like you…though they should be.”

Bail inclined his head in thanks.

“ _Buir_ , we gotta go!” a voice called from the ship. They looked towards it to see a teenager standing there, arms crossed and looking impatient. 

“ _Osik’ika_!” Ponds crowed out, grinning. Boba just flipped him off before heading back into the ship as Jango nodded. 

“Say your goodbyes,” Jango said, looking to Obi-Wan once again. Obi-Wan turned to face the clones, seeing Ahsoka was already clinging tightly to Rex as Anakin spoke to the rest of Torrent. 

He looked to Cody, seeing him staring at him sadly. 

“Oh, love,” Obi-Wan murmured. Cody quickly hurried forward, throwing his arms around Obi-Wan and hugging him tightly. Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around, holding him back just as tightly.

“You come and get me as soon as you can,” Cody told him firmly, though Obi-Wan could hear the slight waver in his voice. “You promised me.”

“I will, my love,” Obi-Wan promised. “We do need to get married after all.”

Jango’s head snapped to the side to look at them at that, dark eyes unreadable. Cody and Obi-Wan didn’t notice, too caught up in holding each other tightly, foreheads resting against one another’s as they stared into each other’s eyes.

“Why don’t you go say goodbye to Ahsoka?” Obi-Wan suggested quietly. “A-and then we’ll hold each other again, huh?”

Cody gave a weak laugh and nodded, reluctantly detaching from Obi-Wan to go to the young Togruta. 

“You’re getting married?” Jango asked Obi-Wan quietly, almost dangerously, as he watched the young Togruta cling onto Cody tightly. 

“I asked him to marry me and he said yes,” Obi-Wan murmured, glancing at Jango. “I truly love him, Jango, and I do want to spend the rest of my life with him.”

Jango’s dark eyes just examined him closely, not saying anything. Finally he grunted, making Obi-Wan chuckle slightly. 

“Make sure you survive this then,” Jango warned him, “because it will destroy him if you get yourself killed – and if he’s hurt, I’m going to bring you back to life so I can kill you myself.”

“I’ll do what I can,” Obi-Wan said quietly, looking to Cody to see him being hugged tightly again by Ponds now. “But if something does happen to me, if this goes bad and the Jedi fall…take care of him, Jango. Take care of all of them.”

“They’ll be safe with me, but be your ridiculous Jedi self and survive this anyway,” Jango told him. Obi-Wan nodded, looking up and smiling as he saw Cody coming towards him again and quickly enfolded him into his arms. 

Rex chuckled as Ahsoka wrapped her arms around him again, holding him tightly. 

“Take care, Rexter,” Ahsoka murmured. 

“You too, littl’un,” Rex said quietly. “Keep safe and don’t do anything crazy, all right? Stay in the Temple and keep safe.”

“I will,” Ahsoka promised. 

Cody looked to Ponds, seeing him watching them sadly.

“You stay safe, Ponds,” Cody told him. Ponds smiled, glancing at Mace. 

“I will,” Ponds swore, “but someone has to stay behind to keep an eye on the Jedi, you know how they are.” 

“Excuse you,” Mace said, eyebrow raised as Ponds gently nudged him with an elbow to the ribs. Ponds just grinned at him and Jango stared in disbelief as Mace Windu returned the smile, his dark eyes fond as they stared at Ponds. 

“It’s time,” Jango just said, looking at the clones. He watched as the clones nodded, saying goodbye to their Generals, before they headed on board. Only Rex, Cody and a clone with a number 5 tattooed on his forehead remained. Rex and the clone clutching his hand walked over to Cody, who was still clinging on tightly to Obi-Wan.

“It’s time, _cyar’ika_ ,” Obi-Wan murmured, though his voice wavered. “Go spend some time with your _vode_ and your…,” Obi-Wan paused for a moment, looking at Jango, “with your _Buir_ and you’ll be home soon.”

Rex looked to the clone beside him, who smiled and let go of his hand, before he rested his hand on Cody’s shoulder.

“Come on, Codes,” Rex murmured. “We need to go before anyone sees us. You can comm Obi-Wan once we get there, right?”

“Of course,” Obi-Wan promised as he reluctantly let go of Cody. He pressed his forehead against Cody’s once more. Cody nodded, reaching out to squeeze Obi-Wan’s hands. Obi-Wan kissed Cody lightly.

“Go now,” Obi-Wan said, voice breaking again. Rex took one of Cody’s hands, carefully pulling him away from Obi-Wan and towards the ship. Fives quickly went to Cody’s other side, resting his hand on Cody’s shoulder as they escorted him to the ship. 

Jango stood there for a moment, watching as Windu and Skywalker came to stand by Obi-Wan’s sides, while the Togruta leaned against Fisto’s side sadly. Cody glanced back at Obi-Wan once more before his brothers got him into the ship. 

Jango watched as Obi-Wan buckled against Skywalker, who held him up, murmuring reassuringly to him. He glanced at Organa, who was looking at Obi-Wan sadly, before he sighed. 

“He’ll be safe with me, Kenobi, don’t worry,” Jango reassured him. “Just do what you need to do.” 

Obi-Wan nodded before giving a weak smile. Jango nodded curtly to the other Jedi before he headed back to the ship.

“Oh, and, Jango?” Obi-Wan called out. Jango paused for a moment, looking at him.

“I haven’t exactly told _her_ that you were the one coming,” Obi-Wan told him with a wry, shaky grin. 

“Oh, that’s going to be fun,” Jango muttered, glaring at him. 

“I’ll tell her once you’re on your way.” 

Jango just shook his head before he headed into the ship, needing to get on the way. He walked into the ship, glancing into the mess to see most of the clones gathered there, all around Cody and murmuring reassuringly to him. He continued on to the cockpit, seeing Boba there and waiting. 

“Let’s go then,” Jango said as he leaned against the pilot’s seat. Boba nodded, preparing the ship before taking off. Jango watched with a small smile as Boba smoothly got the ship through the Coruscant skies, answering the transponder questions with such ease once he was questioned by Coruscant planet security. 

Boba had certainly grown these last couple of years by himself.

“I’m going to go check on our guests,” Jango told him. “Can you contact _Slave I_ to make sure they’re with us?”

Boba gave him a look over his shoulder which made Jango chuckle, gently scruffing up Boba’s short hair, which he had started to grow once he and Jango had been reunited. 

“Good, _ad’ika_.” 

“Is Kote okay?” Boba asked hesitantly as Jango turned to leave. 

“He’s upset, but he’ll be okay,” Jango told him, knowing that Boba cared for Kote. “Also, you need to tell me the story about why Ponds calls you ‘ _Osik’ika_.” 

Boba grumbled at that. “I shot him, apparently he’s proud of me.”

Jango laughed at that. “Yes, I can see why he calls you ‘ _little shit_ ’ then.” 

Jango left the cockpit chuckling to himself as he headed towards the mess where the clones were gathered. He remembered when he had gone to reveal himself to Boba once Kote and Kenobi had told him about the chips. Boba had just stared at him before launching at him, fists flying.

Jango had been so proud of him.

But Boba had soon gotten it out of his system after doing his best to pummel Jango, all the while shouting and swearing at him, as Bossk stood by watching, amused. Once that was done, Jango told him about the chips and took him to get the one removed from his head. He had put his fist through a screen once the chip had been placed in his hand, knowing that he could have lost Boba to whoever was in charge of this whole mess.

Jango shook his head of that thought. Boba was safe now and Kote, Rex and their men would be too.

He walked into the mess, the clones going quiet at the sight of him. He ignored that, looking around and frowning. All of the clones were sprawled out on the floor so they could be closer to each other.

“We’re missing a couple,” he said as he went and sat beside Cody.

“Kix and Helix went to check out the medbay,” Cody explained quietly with a small shrug. “It’s what they do.”

“Can’t keep Kix away,” Jesse chuckled as he leaned back against a seat. Jango tilted his head as he regarded that clone with the Republic cog tattooed on the majority of his bald head and face.

“I haven’t met you before, have I?” he asked him. “You weren’t part of the group that came to get Kote.”

Cody sighed as the others looked at him in confusion.

“Kote?” Hardcase questioned, confused, looking to Cody. 

“That was his original name,” Echo said quietly, giving Cody a small smile, “but he doesn’t go by that anymore…not by us at least.”

Cody nodded in thanks as he settled against Rex’s side, not feeling up to talking much or explaining the reason why. 

“Uh, yeah,” Jesse said, trying to break the awkward tension. “We haven’t met. I’m Jesse.”

Jango blinked at that, recalling a memory. “Your _riduur_ is Kix then?” he asked, looking to Cody. “I remember you telling me.”

Jesse looked shocked but nodded. Jango nodded and looked at who was next to Jesse, which was Echo, who smiled when he noticed the look.

“Echo,” he introduced himself. Jango smiled at yet another familiar name.

“You’re with Wolffe, right?” Jango asked, getting a shy nod from Echo. “Wolffe was one of my favourites on Kamino, his tendency to bite used to make us laugh.”

“Wolffe’s engaged now,” Cody said quietly to Jango, whose eyes widened at that before he grinned. He looked to the clone next to Echo.

“Hevy,” the clone introduced himself, looking unsure. “I’m new to the 212th.”

“Oh?” Jango asked, curious. 

Hevy nodded, swallowing as he moved closer to Echo, unsure of being the attention of _the_ Jango Fett. 

“I was a Separatist prisoner for two years,” he explained quietly. “After I was cleared, General Kenobi put with me Ghost Company, saying I needed to have brothers by my side…which has been helpful.”

“He’s mine and Fives’s last batch-mate too,” Echo explained, moving an arm around Hevy’s shoulders. “We missed him since we believed he was dead.”

Jango nodded. He wanted to hear that story but he also wanted to move on.

“Hardcase,” the grinning clone introduced himself.

“Nice artwork,” Jango said as examined the blue lines on Hardcase’s face. He was surprised that a few of them had quite noticeable tattoos, such as Jesse and Hardcase, but he was sure it was the Jedi giving them the chance to become their own person. Jango looked up as two clones entered and settled down in the circle, with one squeezing in next to Jesse and resting against him. Jango took in the very high maintenance haircut with the lightning bolts cut into the sides and smirked at the tattoo within one of the bolts.

“You must be Kix then,” Jango said, surprising the medic.

“Yes, sir,” Kix said, glancing at Jesse who smiled reassuringly. Jango nodded and looked back to Hardcase. He smiled when he saw the clone next to him.

“Tup,” Jango greeted gently. Tup smiled shyly and nodded. Jango examined the young clone for a moment, watching as Waxer pulled him close and cuddled him and smiled, though he couldn’t help but feel a bit apprehensive. 

He wasn’t sure how Tup was going to react once they reached Mandalore.

Pushing that thought from his mind, he continued to greet the clones.

“It’s Waxer and Boil, right?” he said, getting grins from both of them. “Then it’s Helix, Crys and Wooley…I got that right, right?”

“You did, sir,” Crys answered. Jango nodded and turned slightly so he could see else was there.

“I haven’t met you yet, have I?” Jango mused as he looked at the clone with 5 tattoo, who was holding Rex’s hand. 

“It’s Fives, sir,” he introduced himself. Jango nodded. 

“Taking care of Rex, are you?” he asked, a hint of warning in his voice which made Fives pale slightly.

“Jango,” Rex grumbled, rolling his eyes.

“I watched you grow up, Rex, and saw you overcome a tragedy when you were just a kid, I’m protective of you,” Jango replied easily. “Just like I am with Kote, Wolffe, Bly and Ponds.”

Rex snorted, shaking his head, though he was smiling. 

“He’s taking care of me,” Rex reassured him, not wanting Jango to bail up Fives later, knowing Fives would probably freak out…after all, it was **Jango Fett** , the original and the one all clones both respected and feared. 

“Speaking of Ponds,” Jango said suddenly. “What’s going on with him and Windu?”

Cody looked at Jango, surprised and a bit unsure. “Why?”

“Nothing bad, Kote,” Jango reassured him. “I just saw how they interacted and was curious…especially since Windu almost killed me.”

“They’re together, but not in the sense you think,” Cody said carefully, trying not to roll his eyes as he saw grins and heard groans of those who had lost a bet. 

“They’re more like…soul-mates, I guess?” Cody continued. “They’re more than friends, but it’s more like they’re there for each other, to have each other’s back, to be there for one another, to comfort each other.”

Jango made a considering noise at that before startling as someone’s stomach grumbled loud enough. Hardcase gave a sheepish grin.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. Rex just chuckled before grabbing his bag and digging through it, pulling out containers stuffed with food. Hardcase whooped as he took one filled with cookies from Rex before Rex passed the others around.

“Ah, Rex, you shouldn’t have,” Kix said as Jesse passed him a slice. 

“Couldn’t sleep,” Rex answered with a small shrug, passing some food to Cody with a meaningful look. Cody gave a weak smile as he took it. Jango took one of the cookies, surprised.

“You cook?” he asked. Rex nodded.

“Helps when I’m restless,” he answered quietly, Jango reading into that a lot further, knowing Rex used it to help cope after his ordeal. Jango just bit into the cookie, eyes widening slightly at how good it was before smiling.

If only the Kaminoans could see this, to see that they were so much more than soldiers and cannon fodder.

Rex handed some more food over to Jango, telling him to take it to Boba. 

“He did help us,” Rex said, smiling weakly at Cody. “He helped us so much.”

Cody nodded in agreement as Jango felt pride in his chest.

“Will you be okay?” he asked Cody quietly. Cody looked to him, giving a small nod. Jango frowned. Cody was being quiet, far too quiet. He wasn't this quiet on Tattooine after Jango had rescued him. Sure, he had been a little on edge and unsure, but he wasn't this clammed up and silent.

“Later on you tell me how Kenobi proposed to you,” Jango continued. “I want to hear about it.”

Cody gave a small smile at that and Jango felt relieved that he got that, knowing Cody was hurting, but he still too quiet for Jango’s liking. 

Jango gathered up the food Rex had given him before going to give it to Boba. 

After all, there was still quite a way to go before they reached Mandalore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took a while, but been crazy sick this week.  
> Had to include Come What May, since I was listening to it on the bus and immediately that scene came to mind.
> 
> Also, how is everyone still going? Still enjoying this? Getting excited for what's coming?


	44. Shock

Obi-Wan watched as the transport took off, a numb feeling settling in as Cody got further and further away. A hand rested on his shoulder, a warm, comforting weight. 

“We’ll get him back soon,” Anakin’s voice murmured. “We’ll get him back.”

Obi-Wan gave a small nod, not quite trusting his voice to answer, not knowing what exactly what would come out. He still feared that that was the last time he’d ever see Cody face-to-face, the last time he would hold him.

“Stop those thoughts,” Mace’s voice rumbled gently beside him. “Your shields have dropped, Obi-Wan.”

“Sorry,” Obi-Wan whispered, voice breaking, not meeting their gaze but instead turning his gaze up to the lightening sky, now turning a soft blue. 

“You’re going to survive this,” Mace promised him. “We’ll make sure you’re reunited and that he’s not in danger anymore.”

Obi-Wan nodded, swallowing harshly. He released what he could of his fears into the Force, though that bit of uncertainty and dread remained despite his efforts, before he turned to face the others, who were all looking at him sympathetically. Obi-Wan looked to Bail, who was looking concerned yet confused. Obi-Wan hadn’t told him the full reason of why he had to get Cody off of the planet or why he was in danger. 

“We should head back to the Temple before we gain attention,” Obi-Wan said, his voice surprisingly even, gaining a concerned frown from Anakin. “Bail, will you join us? There is something we’ve discovered that we could use your help for.”

Mace nodded in agreement at that. “Yes, we could definitely use you and Padme.”

Bail nodded, still looking confused. “Of course.”

Obi-Wan headed back to the transport he had used, while Mace and Kit went to talk to their pilots, telling them to go back to the Temple, before they joined Bail, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka and Anakin on Obi-Wan’s transport. 

Mace sighed as he watched Obi-Wan’s face go blank once more, though his grey eyes showed his distress. Mace exchanged a look with Kit, whose head tentacles curled slightly at the ends in distress in seeing his friend upset and worried like this. 

Bail watched over them all, watching as Anakin murmured into a commlink, though he kept shooting worried looks towards Obi-Wan, while Mace and Kit watched Obi-Wan in concern. 

He wasn’t sure what was truly going on…but he was worried about what the Jedi had discovered. He knew it must have been bad for Obi-Wan to send Cody, Rex and the others away…but especially Cody. 

Obi-Wan stared blankly at the wall of the transport, deep in thought. He was going over the base of the plan that Yoda had thought of, thinking of ways to improve on it, to make sure they could get Palpatine to talk and incriminate himself. 

He startled out of those thoughts when a weight slammed into his chest, arms wrapping around him tightly. He looked down slightly to see the top of Ahsoka’s montrals, the teenager clinging to him tightly. 

“Ahsoka?” Obi-Wan said, confused, looking to the others, who just smiled when they saw the teenager clinging tightly to him. 

“Don’t be worried, Obi-Wan,” Ahsoka said, peering up at him. Obi-Wan sighed internally when he realised how close Ahsoka was to being taller than him, it must have been his lot in life to have his Padawans dwarf him. 

“We’re going to finish this,” Ahsoka continued. “We’re gonna bring Cody home and then you two can get married!” 

Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around Ahsoka, hugging her back. 

“It’s gonna be an awesome wedding too, right?” Ahsoka chirped, trying to cheer Obi-Wan up. 

Obi-Wan smiled slightly at Ahsoka’s attempt to get him to think more positive thoughts, like his future with Cody, that he would survive this to marry Cody. Obi-Wan hugged her tightly, resting his cheek against the top of her head.

“Thank you, Padawan,” he murmured. “Thank you.”

Ahsoka smiled slightly as she clung onto her second Master tightly. She knew he was hurting, but she hoped he knew that he wasn’t alone and that they were there for him. 

“Padme will meet us at the Temple,” Anakin said suddenly, looking at them all. Obi-Wan nodded, squeezing Ahsoka once more before letting her go with a thankful smile. Ahsoka smiled at him before she shifted to stand beside him instead. 

“I need to contact Satine once we reach the Temple,” Obi-Wan told them, giving a small smile. “I may have neglected to tell her that Jango would be the one escorting Cody and the others there.”

“Why would she mind?” Bail asked curiously. “Is it because he’s a bounty hunter?”

“You don’t know of Jango’s past?” Obi-Wan asked, surprised. Bail shook his head, looking intrigued now.

“Besides him being a bounty hunter and the clones template…no, I don’t know anything about him.”

“Jango is the _Mand’alor_ ,” Obi-Wan explained. “While the Kryze family have ruled Mandalore, Jango Fett was the leader of the warriors, the one that the warriors chose. They didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye, the Kryze’s and Fett and his predecessor. Especially since different Clans chose to view Fett as their true leader, especially once the Kryze’s started to move towards Pacifism.”

“So why didn’t he remain on Mandalore?” Bail asked curiously.

“There was an incident years ago, while Jango was still quite young, maybe a bit younger than Anakin here,” Mace took over. “The Jedi were called to help with a dispute, saying that a group called the True Mandalorians were acting as terrorists. However, it was a trap,” Mace sighed. “The Jedi were set up by the Death Watch, who the True Mandalorians were trying to stop, and in the Battle of Galidraan, many Jedi and almost all of the True Mandalorians fell…except for one.”

“Jango Fett,” Bail murmured. He did remember hearing something about Galidraan, but he was still fairly new to politics when that had occurred. 

“What happened to Jango afterwards then?” Bail asked. 

“We’re not sure,” Mace said, shaking his head.

“I know,” Obi-Wan murmured, looking at their surprised faces. “Cody told me after Jango had rescued him and Jango told him about it.”

“What happened to him?” Anakin asked.

“The leader of Death Watch sold him into slavery,” Obi-Wan answered with a heavy sigh. “He was a slave on a spice freighter and forced to fight in gladiator matches for years until he managed to escape. After that, he didn’t find himself worthy, not after being away for so many years and for losing so many of the True Mandalorians – so, he became a bounty hunter, one of the most feared, wearing his armour painted in colours that have meaning.”

“What did they mean?” Ahsoka asked, curious by this story. 

“Silver for seeking redemption, blue for reliability,” Obi-Wan explained, giving a weak smile. “He was a reliable bounty hunter after all.” 

“He also killed many Jedi with his bare hands,” Mace said before sighing, “but I understand his anger, that the Jedi were so easily persuaded by liars when all Fett and the True Mandalorians were trying to do was stop an uprising.”

“So he’s Mandalorian?” Bail asked then, looking to Obi-Wan.

“Not by birth,” Obi-Wan explained, gaining a surprised look from Ponds. “He was adopted by a Mandalorian when he was a young child and raised by one, so he adopted their teachings and their views.”

“He did teach us a lot about that. He wanted us to be strong and have honour,” Ponds murmured, looking to Mace who smiled at him.

“You know a lot about him,” Kit said as he leaned against the wall of the transport. 

“After the mess on Geonosis and after we were placed in charge of the clones, I did my best to find out what I could about him,” Obi-Wan admitted. “I did more research once he rescued Cody too.”

“We’re here,” Mace spoke up, breaking the silence that fell over them as they regarded what Obi-Wan had told them. Anakin was looking most unsure, especially since he had learnt that Jango had been a slave too. 

They all disembarked the transport. 

“I’ll meet you in the war-room once I’ve finished speaking to Satine,” Obi-Wan told them.

“I’ll go wait for Padme,” Anakin said. Mace nodded and sighed, looking to Bail. 

“Senator, shall we?” he asked. Bail nodded, looking to Ponds, who leaned against Mace’s shoulder and grinned at him from over it.

“Of course,” Bail said, inclining his head. He gave Obi-Wan a final glance and a reassuring smile, before he followed Ponds, Mace and Kit towards the war-room, chuckling as Ponds ribbed at Mace, who responded in kind. 

Anakin looked to Obi-Wan. “Will you be okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” Obi-Wan reassured him, giving a tired laugh. “I’ve been on the receiving end of her ire before.”

Anakin nodded, looking to Ahsoka. “C’mon, Snips, let’s go greet Padme.”

“Sure thing, Skyguy.” 

Obi-Wan headed off to his apartment, sighing as he stepped inside to the silent room. He looked around, feeling the ache in heart for Cody deepen and missing him even more. He sat down on the couch, sighing once more in the silence, before he reached for his comm.

“Hello, Satine,” he greeted once it was answered. 

“ _Hello, Ben_ ,” Satine greeted in return. “ _Are they safely on their way?_ ”

“Yes, they left not too long ago,” Obi-Wan replied, leaning back against the couch. 

“ _And how are you going with that?_ ” Satine asked gently. 

“I…I don’t know,” Obi-Wan admitted. “Satine…if something happens to me, take care of him.”

“ _Oh, Obi-Wan,_ ” Satine whispered. “ _You will survive this, you know you will_.”

“Satine, please,” Obi-Wan begged. 

Satine sighed. “ _I promise, Obi-Wan. He and the others will be safe in Mandalore_.”

Obi-Wan gave a shaky breath, running a hand through his hair as he trembled. He was still so fearful that he wouldn’t make it, but he knew Cody would be safe. Satine would take care of him. 

“Oh, and, Satine,” Obi-Wan said.

“ _Yes?_ ”

“Jango Fett is escorting Cody and the others. He’s there to protect them and he’ll die before anything happens to them – he cares greatly for them.”

There was a pause.

“ _You’re not serious, are you, Ben?_ ” Satine’s voice said evenly, devoid of any emotion. Obi-Wan gave a small grin at that.

“I am, Satine,” Obi-Wan said.

Satine swore on the other end. “ _Do you understand what this could do? What the Mandalorians may think? What Death Watch may do if they discover this?!_ ”

“He’s the only one I trust that can keep them safe,” Obi-Wan told her. “If it comes down to it, you couldn’t protect them, not without breaking your pacifist oath. He won’t hesitate to protect them.”

Satine sighed heavily. “ _Obi-Wan…_ ”

“He’s honourable, Satine,” Obi-Wan said. “He won’t try to usurp you, he just wants to look after them.”

“ _I will keep a close eye on him._ ”

“I wouldn’t expect you to do anything less,” Obi-Wan chuckled sadly. 

Satine could hear the change in the voice, could hear how low and flat he sounded and knew that he was worried about Cody and about what was happening. He hadn’t explained everything to her, only that they were facing something dangerous and Cody was being targeted and wasn’t safe. 

“ _Everything will be okay, Obi-Wan_ ,” Satine reassured him. “ _Just come back safely, okay? Cody and I will be waiting to greet you_.”

“I’ll try my best, Satine,” Obi-Wan murmured. “And thank you for doing this.”

They said their farewells and Obi-Wan sighed, leaning forward to put his head in his hands. He took in a deep breath, bracing himself before he stood up, leaving the apartment and heading towards the war-room. 

Obi-Wan took comfort in the fact that Cody was safe now and that he could focus on getting rid of Palpatine so he could bring Cody home safe. 

He tried to remain positive that he and the others would survive this, so he could go get Cody, bring him home and then marry him.

Obi-Wan stepped into the war-room, seeing Bail and Padme looking shocked as they stared at Mace.

“Oh, good, you told them,” Obi-Wan said breezily as he walked to stand beside Kit. 

“The Chancellor?” Bail breathed. “I-It can’t be!”

“I’m afraid it is,” Yoda spoke up, shaking his head. “Plans we are making to prove this, to stop him.”

Bail ran a hand through his hair, looking to Padme, who was staring at Anakin in horror. Anakin looked to Padme and gave a nod, his mouth fixed in a firm line, his eyes displeased. 

“Why aren’t you acting now then?” Bail asked, not accusing them, but just surprised.

“Because we can’t just go in there, lightsabers blazing,” Mace explained. “If we did and we don’t have the evidence, he could use it against us. So we need to plan this out.”

“So what do you have so far?”

“We’re going to place spy cams into his office,” Anakin explained. “That way we can access a video feed and record what goes down, especially if he shuts down his own security feed, which we believe he will.”

“How do you get him to talk?” Padme asked. 

“I have an idea for that,” Obi-Wan said, gaining surprised and unsure looks.

 

Jango walked down the hall of the ship, glancing into the bunk room where most of the clones were. He leaned against the wall, surprised as he looked over them. He had explained that there weren’t enough beds on this transport for all of them and that they would have to share. He expected them to take shifts, he wasn’t expecting them to share a bunk. 

Boil and Waxer were curled up together, with Waxer clinging on tightly to Boil as he snored away. Crys and Wooley were sharing the bunk above Waxer and Boil, both of them deeply asleep. Echo and Hevy were sharing a bunk too, Hevy clinging to Echo and head resting on Echo’s shoulder. Fives and Rex were on the bunk under them with Rex snuggled closely and wrapped up in Fives’s arms. 

Jango smiled at the peaceful look on Rex’s face as he slept. He deserved peaceful sleep after everything he was put through.

Hardcase was sprawled out on his back, which made Jango snort softly, before he looked to Jesse and Kix, finding them both curled up too. Jesse gave a rack-rattling snore, making Kix shove him over onto his side in his sleep. 

“They’re adorable when they sleep, aren’t they?” Jango looked to the side at the voice, seeing Helix standing there. 

“Why aren’t you asleep?” he asked Helix.

“I was checking on Cody and Tup,” Helix answered, “and now I’m going to squeeze in with Crys and Wooley.”

“Why not Hardcase?” Jango asked in surprise. Helix gave a snort.

“He’s terrible to share a bunk with,” was all Helix laughed before he walked into the room and headed towards where Crys and Wooley were. Jango looked over them once more, giving a small nod and a sigh before he left to check on Cody and Tup.

The clones had elected to give Cody his own room and space once they had discovered there wasn't enough bunks, but Tup had ended up joining him. 

He knocked on the door to Cody’s room and smiled at him once Cody opened the door. 

“Tup’s asleep,” Cody murmured, glancing over his shoulder. Jango smiled as he looked over Cody’s shoulder, seeing Tup curled up in bed fast asleep. 

“You can’t sleep?” Jango asked, turning his attention to Cody. Cody shook his head. Jango frowned. 

“Why don’t you get a jumper on and we can go get a cup of caf or something?” Jango suggested as he saw Cody shivering. Cody nodded, heading back into the room and digging through his bag. He paused as his fingers brushed against soft linen. Cody went digging for that piece of clothing. He gave a shaky smile, his heart racing, when he pulled out one of Obi-Wan’s well-worn and loved robes. He pulled it on, breathing in Obi-Wan’s scent. He walked back to the door and saw Jango’s eyes narrow slightly as he took in the Jedi robe that Cody was wearing.

“Odd clothing choice,” Jango grunted. Cody shrugged as he pulled the robe closer around himself and followed Jango to the mess. 

“Obi-Wan packed it,” Cody said quietly. “It smells like him.”

Jango just hummed at that, walking into the mess.

“Caf, Kote?” he asked. Cody gave a small shake of his head. 

“Is there any tea or something else?” Cody asked. Jango hummed as he searched through the cupboards before he chuckled, pulling out a box.

“Organa packed hot chocolate,” Jango chuckled, looking to Cody. “Is that okay?”

Cody nodded and Jango went about making it. 

“I’ll need to make some for Boba before I chase him off to bed,” Jango mused as he placed a mug in front of Cody.

“He still piloting?” Cody asked, surprised.

“Mostly just messaging Bossk while we’re in hyperspace,” Jango chuckled as he sat down opposite Cody. “And complaining.”

Cody gave a wry smile at that. “That’s what teenagers do, don’t they?” 

“I can’t remember any of you being so touchy.”

“That’s because we got punished by the Kaminoans if we were,” Cody retorted, watching as Jango flinched. “We also went through puberty in half the time,” Cody added lightly. Jango nodded as he sipped his caf.

“That is true,” he mused. Jango looked to Cody, watching as Cody pulled a ring on a chain out of his shirt, playing with it absently. 

“So, how did Kenobi propose?” Jango asked, nodding to the ring. 

“I couldn’t sleep, so I was watching the rain,” Cody said quietly, smiling. “Then he made a promise to never leave me and asked me to marry him.”

Jango was quiet for a moment, playing with the mug in his hands. 

“Though I’m not exactly a fan of the Jedi,” Jango said carefully. “Kenobi seems like a good one and I can see he loves you.”

“I love him,” Cody said, looking to Jango. Jango nodded once again. 

“I’m surprised Tup’s sleeping with you,” Jango said. “I thought he’d share with Hardcase.”

Cody snorted at that. “Hardcase is terrible to sleep next to,” Cody stated.

“Yes, Helix said the same thing,” Jango said, smiling. “Why is that?”

“Well, you know how Hardcase is always moving and fidgeting?” Cody asked.

“Mm?”

“Well, he’s the exact same in his sleep too…except he also kicks in his sleep as well,” Cody chuckled. “I was fine letting Tup share a bed with me. He’s a sweet kid and I have missed my _vod’ika._ ”

“He is a sweet kid,” Jango agreed. Jango tilted his head slightly as he watched Cody yawn and rub his eyes. “You’re tired, _ad’ika_ ,” Jango murmured.

“I can’t sleep,” Cody said, staring at the table, fingers tracing the rim of his now empty mug. “I miss Obi and I’m scared for him…and I just want to go home.”

“He’ll beat this Sith Lord and then you can go home,” Jango told him reassuringly. “And I better be invited to your wedding, _vod’ika_. I’ll even put up with the Jedi to see you get married.”

Cody chuckled at that and gave a weak smile. “I know you don’t like the Jedi, but they aren’t all bad…and the ones who were at Galidraan are almost all dead now.”

“I know, Kote, I know,” Jango sighed, “but some things…well, they can’t be forgotten, which I know you understand.”

“I do,” Cody murmured before yawning again. 

“C’mon, _ad’ika_ ,” Jango chuckled as he stood up. “Let’s get you to bed. Gotta be rested to face the Duchess.”

Cody let Jango help him up and lead him back towards the room he was sharing with Tup.

“Sleep well, Kote,” Jango told him, “and if you need me, I’ll be in the cockpit after Boba goes to bed.”

“Night, _Buir,_ ” Cody yawned, rubbing at his eyes. Jango smiled warmly at that.

“Goodnight, _ad’ika_.” 

Jango headed back to the mess once the door closed to make Boba a cup of hot-chocolate. 

Cody headed towards the bed once the door had closed, seeing Tup had barely moved in the time he had been gone. He gave a fond smile as he watched his little brother sleeping peacefully. 

Cody took off Obi-Wan’s robe, tucking it safely back into his bag, before he turned back to the bed and sat on the edge, toeing off his shoes before he lay on the bed, turning to face Tup and smiling at Tup’s peaceful face.

Closing his eyes, he managed to doze off to the sound of Tup’s peaceful, even breaths.

 

Satine stood by the docks, her guards standing nearby, having cleared away anyone not trusted or permitted to be there, and turned her gaze to the sky.

They would be here soon. 

Satine turned her attention back to the docks, eyeing the odd worker here and there, and the Alderaanian pilots that were waiting to take the ship back to Alderaan.

She still couldn’t believe that Obi-Wan had sent Jango Fett of all people…she had enough trouble trying to soothe her officials and ministers once she informed them that she was taking clones in as refugees, but now with Fett…well, things were going to become more complicated.

Satine looked to the transport waiting nearby with darkened windows, which she had arranged. She wanted to get the clones to the Sundari palace safely, with no one seeing them, especially not Death Watch. 

Her attention was drawn by a smaller ship landing nearby and she frowned at it.

“It’s the escort, Duchess,” one of the guards told her. “They gave the right codes.”

Satine nodded absently. That would mean the main ship would be here shortly. 

Of course, as soon as she thought that, she spotted the Alderaanian ship coming in. It landed and the ramp opened, all of the identical occupants walking out with bags slung over their shoulders. 

She walked over to greet them, recognizing a few of them.

“Cody, Rex,” she greeted once she saw them. “It is good to see you safe.”

“Thank you, Duchess,” Rex replied, his hand tightening its grip on the hand it was holding. Fives just smiled at Rex reassuringly. Waxer winked at her as she looked at him, making her smirk. She still remembered him threatening to lock her in her room.

Her eyes landed on the older male of the group, standing next to a short haired teenager.

“Fett,” she greeted coolly.

“Duchess,” Jango returned with a sharp grin. 

“I know Obi-Wan trusts you, but I don’t, so any trouble from you and you’re gone from here, understand?” Satine asked him, voice sharp as steel.

“Understood, Duchess,” Jango answered as the teenager beside him scowled. “I’m only here to protect the boys, no trouble from me.”

Tup watched as Jango and the Duchess glared at each, seemingly facing off against each other. He turned his gaze to a nearby ship, seeing a Trandoshan walking towards them and…

Tup’s eyes widened, his heart skipping a beat, as he saw who was walking next to the Trandoshan.

“Jek!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe...what's going to happen now?!! :P


	45. Mandalore

Jek’s heart raced as he stepped off of _Slave I_ , getting a bemused look from Bossk, whose highly sensitive hearing could hear the increase of Jek’s heartbeat, especially since Jek was standing just beside him. 

“Not a word,” Jek grumbled, having heard enough ribbing from both Bossk and Boba over the trip. He had even muted Boba’s messages, having had enough. Bossk had found that hilarious and told Boba, who started sending him the messages to read out to Jek. 

“They’re here,” Bossk just hissed in response, glancing up towards the Alderaanian ship landing. Jek nodded, looking around at all of the security agents positioned around the docks and the Duchess standing there in the middle of it, looking poised but slightly irritated. 

“Is everything set for your leave?” Jek asked Bossk. Fett had already planned it so Bossk would take _Slave I_ and go to Concordia and hide out there, just in case he was needed. Bossk just gave him an unamused look.

“Of course,” he hissed again. “I’m not ssstupid.” 

“Well…”

Bossk snarled at him, gaining a grin from Jek, as they both started to walk over to the now full platform. 

“Jek!” 

Jek froze at the familiar voice crying out his name and looked up, seeing Tup standing there amidst his brothers, looking at him with wide eyes. 

Jek quickly hurried over, ignoring some of the looks given to him by the other clones, and stopped just in front of Tup. He desperately wanted to reach out, to pull Tup close and never let him go again. His fingers itched to run through Tup’s soft hair and trace those soft lips. 

“Tup,” Jek breathed instead, looking at him. “I…how are you?” 

He grimaced as that came out of his mouth. It sounded so awkward and not at all what he wanted to say. 

Tup just smiled slightly at him. “I’m fine. It’s…it’s good to see you again.”

Jek practically beamed at that, warmth flooding his heart. 

“Yes, well, now that the greetings are over,” the Duchess’s voice suddenly said. “Why don’t we take this back to the Palace before we draw attention?”

“Of course, Duchess, my apologies,” Jek said, inclining his head before looking back to Tup, not wanting to look away from him. He missed the Duchess’s searching look as she examined him, before giving a small content nod, satisfied with what she found there. 

“Bossk,” Jango spoke up. “Are you good to go?”

“Yesss, bosss,” Bossk replied. “I will be nearby if you need me.”

Jango nodded firmly. “Get going then. There should still be plenty for you to hunt on Concordia…if it hasn’t changed that is,” he added, pointedly looking to the Duchess, who scowled at him. 

“It’s growing back after the end of our wars,” Satine snapped at him. Jango nodded.

“Good, plenty of forest and mountains for you to hunt around in, Bossk,” Jango said before smirking. “Maybe some Death Watch to hunt if they’ve decided to return?”

Bossk grinned at that and nodded, walking back to _Slave I_ as the Duchess spluttered. Jango just turned to her, smirking easily.

“Shall we go then?”

Satine scowled at him, before nodding to the Alderaanian pilots, who quickly hurried on board the Alderaanian ship and took off, heading back to Alderaan.

“Come then,” Satine ordered, heading towards the transport. Cody exchanged a look with Rex, both of them hiding a smile, before they gathered their bags and headed onto the transport behind Satine. 

“This is going to be interesting,” Rex murmured to Cody as they got on board. Cody gave an agreeing nod, eyes flickering between Jango and Satine. Cody settled down next to Rex and Fives as the transport took off, eyes fixed to the windows and watching as the city of Sundari came into view. 

Rex sighed as he caught view of Cody’s gaze fixed on the windows, but he could see the sadness within them. He knew he was thinking of Obi-Wan. Rex looked to Fives as Fives squeezed his hand, giving him a small, reassuring smile. Rex returned weakly before he looked around, seeing Tup sitting across from Jek, who was being glared at by Boil and Waxer, who were flanking Tup. Tup sighed as he looked at Boil and Waxer, before offering Jek a sheepish smile. Jek just smiled back at him in understanding.

Cody glanced at Jango and Boba, seeing them conversing with each other, and seeing Satine looking at them every now and again. Satine caught Cody’s gaze and smiled warmly at him.

“What do you think of Sundari, Cody?” she asked him gently. Cody looked out of the windows once more, looking at the high rise glass buildings which glinted and shined in the sunlight that the panels within the ceiling of the dome enclosing Sundari. 

“It’s certainly different,” Cody admitted, looking back to Satine. “I don’t believe I’ve seen anything like it.”

“Yes, Obi-Wan thinks the same as you,” Satine laughed softly. “He isn’t sure of all the glass either.”

Cody gave a sheepish look. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, Cody,” Satine told him. “It’s not to everyone’s taste.”

“How can all that glass be safe?” Boba asked, frowning. “What if you’re attacked? It could shatter and kill people.”

“It’s reinforced,” Satine informed him. “It would take quite a bit of force for it to shatter.”

“Like the bombs that Death Watch planted?” Jango drawled, quirking an eyebrow as he looked to Satine. Satine scowled at him again.

“We are dealing with them.”

“So I see,” Jango said airily. Boba looked in between them both, frowning, deep in thought as both Satine and Jango continued to snipe at each other. Boba looked to Cody, who just rolled his eyes. Boba hid a smirk at that, settling back down to listen to his dad and Satine argue. 

 

Palpatine frowned at the message he received from his spies on Mandalore. 

The clones had turned up there, including Cody, and from the shaky holo the spy had taken, it seemed like Jango Fett was there as well. Yet another surprise that the bounty hunter was alive. 

Though he was most surprised that Cody had managed to leave the planet, especially since Fox kept reporting that Cody was spotted in the lower levels. So either the Jedi had managed to keep the Guard on a pointless chase…or Fox had betrayed him.

Palpatine sneered at that thought and called Fox to his office. It was time to find out the truth. 

Fox soon arrived, helmet tucked under his arm.

“Chancellor, you called for me?” Fox asked after a small, sharp bow. Palpatine watched as the clone stood to attention, eyes focused on the Chancellor. Palpatine reached out with the Force, using it to keep track of Fox’s emotions so he could truly discover if the clone was betraying him.

“I just received a report,” Palpatine said easily, leaning forward and watching Fox’s facial reactions. “Clone CC-2224, otherwise known as Cody, was spotted on Mandalore.”

Fox frowned at that and Palpatine could feel his shock and surprise.

“That can’t be possible,” Fox said. “All reports we’ve attained say that Cody is still on Coruscant!” 

Palpatine leaned back, content that Fox hadn’t betrayed him. The clone truly didn’t know that Cody had been shipped away by the Jedi. 

“Yes, it seems the Jedi have spirited Cody, Rex and a number of other clones away,” Palpatine continued. “It makes you wonder why they are so desperate to send them away, what they’re trying to hide.”

“What would you have me do, sir?” Fox asked him. “I can send a contingent of men to retrieve them.”

“No, Commander,” Palpatine said, shaking his head. “Mandalore is a neutral planet, you would cause more war if you went.”

“Of course, your Excellence,” Fox bowed once again as Palpatine dismissed him. Fox calmly left the office, jamming his bucket back on his head as he headed towards the elevator.  
He had been surprised to hear that the Jedi had sent Cody away, as far as Fox knew, he had still been in the Temple. Though he understood the reason why the Jedi wouldn’t tell him, just in case the Chancellor found out…though that point was moot now.

He needed to warn the Jedi that the Chancellor knew Cody was no longer on planet, but he had to be careful. Fox knew that the Chancellor was watching them all closely now.

Palpatine watched as Fox disappeared from sight before he leaned forward, activating the comm to tell his secretary not to disturb him. He drew on his dark robe, placing the hood over his head, before he activated the call.

Dooku was surprised to see Sidious was contacting him, but he answered just the same.

“My Master,” Dooku greeted, bowing his head. 

“ _The Jedi have sent the clones into hiding_ ,” was all said Sidious said in lieu of greeting.

“Which clones?” Dooku asked confused, frowning at the holo of the Sith Lord.

“ _Cody, Rex and two squads_ ,” Palpatine explained. “ _Jango Fett is with them also_.”

“I thought he was dead,” Dooku said, frown deepening. “And why would the Jedi send them into hiding?”

“ _I have discovered that the clone, Cody, is Force Sensitive_ ,” Palpatine said and Dooku could just hear the pure glee and **greed** in his voice. “ _The Jedi have sent him away to protect him, along with those other clones. It makes me wonder how many Force Sensitive clones they are hiding_.”

Dooku just blinked in disbelief. “I did not sense anything when I spoke to those two clones on Osiris,” he said slowly. 

Dooku could see Palpatine’s sneer from under his hood. 

“ _It surprises me you were so blind to such a strong presence_ ,” Palpatine sneered. Dooku stiffened at that, but bowed his head, hiding his gritted teeth.

“What would you have me do, my Lord?” Dooku asked instead. 

“ _Get the clones and take them to Mustafar_ ,” Palpatine ordered. “ _We will break them and make them into Acolytes. If they prove useless, they will be destroyed._ ”

“Of course, my Lord,” Dooku replied, acting like the obedient Apprentice. “My Lord, do the Jedi suspect you?”

“ _No, they are blinded_ ,” Palpatine laughed darkly. “ _They feared that I would discover their secret if I got my hands on their clone. If they even suspected me, they wouldn’t have bothered sending the clones away, they would have turned up to fight me_.”

“Of course, Master,” Dooku demurred. 

“ _Be careful about how you go about it_ ,” Palpatine ordered. “ _Do not allow the Jedi or anyone to know where we have taken the clones_.”

“Yes, Master.”

Dooku leaned back as the holo fizzled out. He shook his head in disbelief, biting back a snort.

Oh, Palpatine was blinded by his own ego, that was something Dooku could see clearly. He just knew that Jedi knew of Palpatine’s true nature and that it was only a matter of time before the Jedi acted and Palpatine fell. 

Dooku frowned contemplatively at that thought. If Palpatine fell, then Dooku would be next on their list to take down. He knew he had to act quickly so he would have a bargaining chip to use against the Jedi.

And Palpatine had just handed him his bargaining chip.

Now, he just needed to get prepared for this. Dooku reached forward, grabbing his comm.

“Grievous, I have a job for you.”

 

Satine stepped off the transport, head held high. She turned to watch as the clones all disembarked, looking around at the Palace hangar in awe. 

“Duchess!” 

Satine barely bit back a sigh at the voice, instead straightening up and looking at the flustered looking Prime Minster Almec as he came hurrying over. 

“Duchess, are you sure this is wise?” Almec asked her, looking over to Jango Fett in particular. “If it gets out that you’re harbouring clones…and Jango Fett as well, it could give Death Watch another reason to turn the people against us!”

“They are refugees, Almec,” Satine said coolly. “I am protecting refugees as any good planet and leader should do.” 

Almec stared at her, going to argue, but Satine just turned back to the clones. 

“Now, who wants breakfast?” she asked them, smiling. “If you’d like to leave your bags in pairs with who you wouldn’t mind sharing a room with, then your bags will be taken to your rooms.”

She watched as the clones paired off, placing their bags down in pairs, as she typed out a message to one of her aides about Cody. She knew he would need to be placed near Rex, possibly adjoining rooms. She looked to find Jango and Boba had placed their bags together, though Boba didn’t look too pleased to be sharing a room again with his dad. Satine hid a smile at that, watching instead as the clones gathered around her.

"Come them,” she told them, watching as Rex gently nudged Cody before they followed Satine down the hallways. Satine gave them a rundown on the Palace history as they walked.

“In here,” she directed them, walking into the dining room and sitting down. “Cody, come sit by me.”

Cody glanced at Rex before they all sat down. Cody sat on Satine’s right, while Jango sat on Satine’s left with Boba beside him. Rex and Fives sat down next to Cody with Rex giving Cody a reassuring smile. Waxer and Boil gave Jek a glare as they both flanked Tup, making Tup give a heavy sigh. Jek just smiled and sat opposite him, settling in between Echo and Jesse. Jesse just gave Jek a small smile before looking back to Kix. 

“So, how is our dear Obi-Wan?” Satine asked Cody, giving him a warm smile. “Is he still getting into trouble?”

“Always,” Cody answered, smiling weakly. 

“Should show her your engagement ring, Kote,” Jango said as he sipped a glass of water. Satine looked to Jango in surprise before looking back to Cody.

“He actually proposed?” Satine asked, laughing in delight. “Oh, goodness, Cody, you must show me the ring and tell me how he proposed!” 

Cody glanced at Jango, who smiled and nodded reassuringly, before looking to Satine and pulling out the ring on the chain around his neck. Satine leaned forward to examine it as the food was served.

“Oh, that is beautiful,” Satine murmured. “Something far more beautiful than I ever thought of Obi-Wan choosing. Now tell me, how did he propose? Was it romantic?”

Cody told her the story over breakfast as they picked and chose their food, piling it onto their plates. Satine nodded once he had finished.

“Well, not as romantic as I would have thought…but it definitely suits Obi-Wan,” Satine said easily. “Though I am glad that stubborn man has finally decided to settle down and admit that he’s human and has a heart. You’re good for him, Cody.”

Cody gave a weak smile, though slightly uncomfortable with the way she spoke about Obi-Wan, but he knew those two had a weird relationship. 

Satine looked at Cody with concern over the rim over her glass, watching as he went quiet as he ate. She remembered Cody having more spark and confidence. She understood that what he went through would have hurt him, but he had changed so much from the confident, steadfast Commander that she had once met. 

Jango frowned as he spotted Cody’s shoulders slumping and watched as Rex noticed it too, turning so he could murmur into Cody’s ear. Cody nodded along to whatever Rex was saying and his body relaxed. 

Rex shifted his chair closer to Cody as he noticed the change in Cody’s posture.

“You okay, _ori’vod_?” Rex murmured. Cody sighed heavily and gave a tired nod.

“Yes, I just…I’m worried about Obi,” Cody admitted. “You know what’s going to happen soon, Rex.”

Rex reached out, grasping Cody’s hand under the table.

“I know, Cod’ika, I know,” Rex murmured reassuringly, “but you know it’s Obi-Wan, he’ll be fine. He always is. He’ll come flying in here soon enough to sweep you off your feet and take you back to Coruscant.”

Cody gave Rex an unimpressed look at that and Rex just responded with a grin, squeezing Cody’s hand. They both turned their attention to Satine and Jango, whose voices had risen as they heatedly argued.

“I’m just saying that it is possible to allow the clans to embrace their heritage, yet still be peaceful,” Jango was arguing. 

“Oh, yes, and go back to the old days where clans were slaying each other for perceived slights!” Satine snapped back.

“Obviously there’d be laws to stop that, Duchess,” Jango hissed back. “Laws that no clans were to fight each other or kill each other, and if there were a perceived slight, they would take it to a higher up to decide what would happen, whether it be reparation or fight to first blood, and only first blood.”

Cody sunk back in his chair as their voices got more heated in their arguments. Rex shuddered beside him and squeezed his hand tighter as Fives rested a reassuring hand on Rex’s thigh. 

Boba just looked in between the two bickering adults, smirking slightly as they paused to catch their breath, glaring at each other.

“I’m not calling her _‘Buir’_ ,” Boba said matter-of-factly before turning back to his breakfast.

Silence fell at the table, not even the sound of cutlery against plates could be heard as they all looked to Boba, shocked.

Satine and Jango just stared at Boba, who casually took a sip of his juice, both of their expressions dumbfounded.

It took a loud snort of laughter to break them out of that reverie and they looked towards Waxer, who had his face buried in Tup’s shoulder, trying to stifle his laughter. 

“Yes…well…” Satine said, flustered, clearing her throat. Jango still stared at Boba wide-eyed, Boba returning the look innocently, as the clones began snickering and giggling quietly. Satine glanced to Cody, seeing he was looking in between Jango and herself with a quirked eyebrow. Satine just flushed harder before she stood up, startling the clones eating.

“I need to get to work,” she reassured them, “but when you’re finished eating, you’ll be shown to your rooms so you can rest from your journey, and then you can wander around the Palace. I do ask that you be respectful, though I don’t doubt that you already will be.” 

They all watched as Satine strode from the room, though not looking as poised as she usually did. Rex looked to Boba, smirking and shaking his head.

“You had to say that, didn’t you?” Rex chuckled. Boba just grinned at him cheekily in response.

“I can see why Ponds calls you _osik’ika_ now,” Jango grumbled as he stabbed into his breakfast.

“I was just sayin’ how I see it,” Boba replied with a grin. Jango just shot him another glare. 

There was a small clearing of the throat at the end of the table and they all looked to see a petite woman standing there, her blonde hair pulled back into a braided bun, and datapad in hand. 

“I am Juliana,” she introduced herself, standing tall as she looked at them, her outfit – which was comprised of a crisp white tunic over dark leggings – was all perfect and sharp lines. “I have been assigned to assist you. So if you have finished with your breakfast, I will show you to your rooms.”

They all stood up and followed Juliana from the dining hall, looking around as she led them through halls and up a couple of flights of stairs. 

“Okay,” Juliana sighed, looking at her datapad. “In this room is…Jango and Boba.”

Jango nodded, opening the door to the room and heading inside with Boba close behind.

“Fives and Rex in this one,” Juliana said as she walked down to the next room, indicating to the door. 

“Cody, you’re in this one by yourself, though it is connected to Fives’s and Rex’s room. The Duchess requested that you were placed in here so you had easy access to your brother,” Juliana said, glancing up at Cody, who nodded, looking to Rex who gave a grin in return. Juliana nodded curtly before she moved on, assigning the rooms.

“Kix and Jesse.”

“Echo and Hevy.”

“Waxer and Boil.”

“Crys and Wooley.”

“Helix and Tup.”

“Hardcase and Jek.”

Jek raised an eyebrow as he looked to Tup. He was certain he had put his bag next to Tup’s. Helix just shot him a look as he ushered Tup inside of their room.

“You don’t get to share a room with the _vod’ika_ yet,” Helix growled at him and Jek knew that Helix had switched the bags. “You will talk to him first and then he can decide.”

Jek stared after Helix as he stepped into the room. Tup peered out of the door and gave him an apologetic smile.

“Can we talk later then?” Jek asked him quietly. Tup nodded, glancing over his shoulder into the bedroom. Tup yawned as he looked back to Jek and Jek smiled softly.

“Get some rest, Tup,” he murmured. “I’ll speak to you later.”

“I am sorry, Jek,” Tup said quietly. “They’re just being really overprotective.”

Jek just smiled again, giving a small shrug. “After everything that happened, Tup, I get why they’re protective. They really care for you.”

Tup smiled warmly at that. “I’ll see you later then…if they let me get away,” Tup laughed weakly.

“Until then, Tup.”

Jek stepped away from the door and turned towards his own room before startling as he saw Hardcase standing there, leaning against the door frame and watching him with a grin. 

“Ghost don’t quite get how much Tup likes you,” Hardcase told Jek as Jek walked over to him, clapping Jek’s shoulder. “They just don’t want to see him get hurt again.”

Jek winced at that, looking at Hardcase as they walked into their shared room. Jek couldn’t help but sigh in relief when he saw two separate beds. Tup had told him what a nightmare Hardcase was to share a bed with. 

“What about you then?” Jek asked him as he sat down on the edge of a bed, looking around the blue and green room, which was very modern in the way it was decorated, with white and grey furniture, all with sharp edges and straight lines, with only pops of colours decorating the room within the bed covers, the couch cushions and the decorations on the wall.

“We can see how much Tup really loves you,” Hardcase said with a shrug as he flopped down on his own bed. “If Tup thinks you can be forgiven, well, that’s good enough for us…but if you break his heart again, there’s nowhere in the Galaxy where you can hide from us, especially since Jango is taken with Tup," Hardcase's voice dropped into a low, threatening growl as he warned Jek.

Jek shuddered at that thought, knowing Jango was very protective of those he considered his sons. 

“I don’t plan on breaking his heart,” Jek promised. “I never meant to break it in the first place.”

Hardcase nodded, stretching out. “Well, tell him that when you talk later. We’ll distract Ghost so you two can have some alone time without the glaring.”

Jek grinned at that, looking at Hardcase. “Thank you,” he said sincerely.

“Hey, we did like you,” Hardcase yawned. “You were pretty cool to hang out with at 79’s and you made Tup smile.”

Jek nodded as he laid down on his back on top of the covers, staring up at the white ceiling.

Soon. He would be able to talk to Tup soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eep, sorry it took a while but I got rather sick and was just out of it...I also had fun trying to wrangle things into place so it didn't seem rushed or jilted. 
> 
> Hopefully you like it!
> 
> And things are about to change ;)


	46. Political Discussions

Obi-Wan paused in his katas as his comm chimed. Panting, he disengaged his lightsaber and jogged over to his robes, digging out his comm. He smiled when it activated to reveal a small holo of Cody.

“Cody,” he greeted as he sat down on one of the benches, grabbing his towel to rub it over the back of his sweaty neck. “How have you settled in?”

The small holo of Cody gave a weak smile, resettling from where he was sitting.

“ _I’m okay_ ,” Cody said quietly. “ _I-I miss you._ ”

Obi-Wan gave a sad smile. “I miss you too, _cyare_.”

Cody sighed heavily and shifted again, glancing to the side, which caught Obi-Wan’s interest.

“Where are you now, love?”

“ _Sitting in the room the Duchess gave me_ ,” Cody said. “ _I can see Sundari from my window…it’s an…odd city_.”

Obi-Wan chuckled at that. “Yes, it is rather odd. Nothing like you’ve ever seen, right?”

“ _It kind of reminds me of Christophsis,_ ” mused Cody. “ _All green and crystal._ ”

Obi-Wan nodded. “It does look similar to Christophsis,” he agreed. “And speaking of the Duchess, how’d she react to Jango? Is she taking care of you? She’s not being her usual cranky self is she?”

Cody gave a small smile at Obi-Wan’s questions, which were hiding his worry. 

“ _She’s been looking after us_ ,” Cody reassured him. “ _We’ve all got rooms, well, the others are paired off, but she made sure the room I was placed in joined up to Rex’s and Fives’s room. She fed us breakfast when we arrived and told us to recover after our journey…but…I know you two are friends and all, but…but I don’t like the way she speaks about you sometimes_.”

“Oh, love,” Obi-Wan sighed sadly at Cody’s quiet admission. “She doesn’t mean anything by it, it’s just the way she is.”

“ _I still don’t like it,_ ” he mumbled. 

“Did you tell her that?” Obi-Wan questioned gently. Cody balked at that, looking at Obi-Wan with wide eyes. 

“ _N-No,_ ” Cody stammered. “ _W-What if she gets angry at me?_ ”

Obi-Wan looked at the small holo sadly. “Oh, love,” he murmured, heartbroken that Cody was still so afraid. He was afraid to speak up in case he was hurt, just like he was when he spoke up as Tram’s prisoner. 

Obi-Wan cleared his throat as the hurt and emotion formed a lump there, knowing he needed to change the subject.

“You didn’t tell me how she reacted to Jango,” Obi-Wan told him lightly with a smile. Cody gave a weak smile as he settled back against the wall of the window seat. 

“ _They’ve been arguing and snapping at each other,_ ” Cody told him. Obi-Wan nodded. That was what he had expected.

“ _Though Boba managed to shock both of them into silence over breakfast,_ ” Cody chuckled, though leaving out how both Satine and Jango arguing loudly had made him uneasy, especially as it got more heated.

“Oh?” Obi-Wan asked curiously, glancing up as Mace approached and sat down nearby, watching Obi-Wan with a small smile. 

“ _Boba was just eating breakfast while watching Satine and Jango argue, then came out with ‘I’m not calling her **Buir**.’ Shocked them both…though I thought Waxer was going to wet himself._”

Obi-Wan laughed at that, just imaging the look on Satine’s face as Boba came out with that. Mace just raised an eyebrow at that.

“Well, they’re both strong-headed,” Obi-Wan concurred. “It wouldn’t surprise me if something ends up between them as they continue to argue.”

“ _It would be different,_ ” Cody murmured before sighing, looking to Obi-Wan. “ _When can I come home?_ ”

Obi-Wan felt his heart break at Cody’s small voice and hopeful face. 

“Soon, my love, soon,” Obi-Wan told him, trying to keep the heart break out of his voice so Cody couldn’t see how much it broke Obi-Wan to send him away. “We’ll be moving our plan into place soon…and then you’ll come home.”

“ _I just…I just want to come home, I want to be with you._ ”

“I know, love, I know,” Obi-Wan murmured once more, wishing he could promise Cody something more solid and take away all of his fears and doubts. Obi-Wan looked to Mace again, who gave him a sad look and a nod.

“Cody, my love, I need to go,” Obi-Wan told him regretfully. “I need to start organizing what’s going to happen, but the next time I comm you will to tell you I’m coming for you.”

Cody’s eyes met Obi-Wan, imploring. “ _Make sure you come back to me, Obi, please_ ,” Cody begged. 

“I-I will do my best, my love,” Obi-Wan promised, though it felt like his voice was stuck in his throat, struggling to get the words out, which could turn out to be a hopeless promise. “I will fight to be with you.”

Cody nodded, sighing heavily in acceptance, knowing he couldn’t help. 

“ _I love you, Obi-Wan…please, just come back to me._ ”

“I love you, Cody, and I will always fight to be by your side,” Obi-Wan promised him. 

Cody gave him one last look and weak smile before the holo cut out. 

Obi-Wan sighed, looking to Mace, who met his gaze sadly.

“Are you okay?” he asked him quietly. Obi-Wan gave a small nod before he paused and shook his head.

“No, I don’t think I am,” Obi-Wan told Mace truthfully. “I don’t know how tomorrow will turn out…I don’t know if I’ll see Cody again.”

“You will,” Mace told him firmly. “That I know for certain. I know you will be reunited with him.”

Obi-Wan gave him a sad smile. 

“And technically it’s today we’re going against him,” Mace said, gaining an unimpressed look from Obi-Wan. 

“It’s just past midnight and we're going against him this evening,” Obi-Wan grumbled. Mace nodded at him.

“Exactly, so once we go over this one more time, you’re going to go and rest so you’re prepared for this,” Mace ordered him. “Come, the others are waiting for us.”

Obi-Wan nodded once more, sighing, before he pulled on his robe and followed Mace from the training salle.

 

Tup looked up as Jesse gently elbowed him in the side. They had all gathered back in the dining room for lunch before being led to a lounge to just relax. Jesse tilted his head towards Jek and gave a small, encouraging smile.

“Go,” he murmured. “We’ll keep Ghost distracted, but comm us if you need us.”

Tup beamed, leaning forward to hug Jesse tightly, who chuckled and hugged him back.

“Go on,” Jesse whispered, ushering him off as Kix smiled at them both. Tup quietly shifted and moved while Fives and Echo drew Ghost into conversation, getting their attention. Tup carefully moved to Jek, touching his arm to get his attention, before tilting his head. Jek nodded, grinning, before he silently crept after Tup. 

Helix sighed as he looked to Torrent Company grumpily.

“You didn’t have to sneak them out,” he grumbled, getting agreeing nods from grumpy looking Boil and Waxer.

“Well, you have all been making sure Jek can’t close enough to talk to him,” Kix said, giving them pointed looks.

“Can you blame us?” Boil groused. “You know how it turned out last time.”

“It might have started as a job, but Jek truly cares for him,” Rex spoke up from where he was leaning against Cody, yawning. Cody nodded in agreement, but remained silent, still deep in thought as he turned his earlier conversation with Obi-Wan over and over in his head. 

“If the order was given, Jek wouldn’t have followed it,” Rex continued, unable to say Tris and Tram’s names. “He truly fell in love with Tup, I think he hoped that Tup would never figure out the truth and that everything would just work out, but we had to let the Jedi know, just in case things did go bad and the order was given. It broke us to do it, knowing it would break Tup, but…but it was better to be safe than sorry.”

“Rex, even you said that you knew that Jek cared for him, but you still reported it,” Helix said carefully. Rex nodded in understanding.

“We didn’t know if Tris or Tram had anything on Jek that would make him obey,” Cody finally spoke up, voice hoarse. “We knew that Jek loved him, but we weren’t sure that he wouldn’t follow orders. Though, now, seeing what he’s done and hearing what he did once the Jedi got him, we can see that he loves Tup and wouldn’t hurt him.”

Helix sighed, giving a nod as he looked to Waxer and Boil, who grumpily agreed. 

“Let Tup figure out his own heart,” Cody murmured as he rested against Rex. Rex held Cody close as Fives watched over them both, a small smile on his face. 

 

Tup moved down the hallways, heading back to his room, with Jek close behind him. Jango peeked out of his room as he heard them coming, his helmet in hand as he’d been in the middle of polishing it, though the rest of his armour was tucked away in his bag, just in case. Jango raised an eyebrow as he saw the two of them, but he gave a nod and retreated back into his room, leaving the door open. 

Tup walked into his room, breathing out and trying to calm his racing heart as he walked over to the couch, sitting down. Jek came down and carefully sat down next to Tup, his knee pressing against Tup’s. 

“So,” Jek sighed, giving Tup a weak grin. Tup returned it, looking unsure and shy, reaching his hand up to rub at the back of his head, fingers touching the tie around his bun. Jek’s hand twitched, wanting so desperately to run his fingers through Tup’s hair once more, but he stilled it.

“Tup, I’m so sorry,” Jek apologized. “I wish things didn’t turn out the way it did. I’m not sorry for meeting you, despite the circumstances, but I wish I could change everything. I should have told you, but I was so scared of losing you…and I couldn’t bear to lose you. I’ve missed you so much these last few months, it feels like something is missing within me. I miss your smiles, I miss your laugh, and I miss your big, sweet heart.”

Tup just stared at him, watching with wide, honey eyes. Jek carefully moved his hand so he could gently take one of Tup’s and hold it close. 

“I’m so sorry for everything, Tup,” Jek told him sincerely. “I…I hope you can forgive me. I hope we can try again to make this work with no lies or secrets this time.”

Tup looked at him, his honey eyes searching, before they softened and he smiled. 

“I knew you loved me,” Tup told him. “I was just so scared and so hurt…and I didn’t know what to believe.”

“Oh, Tup,” Jek mumbled. 

“But…but I want to try again,” Tup told Jek, taking in a breath and smiling weakly at him. “No secrets, no lies…but I want to be with you, Jek. I want to be loved by you because…because I still love you.”

Jek grinned at that, picking Tup’s hand up to brush a kiss across his knuckles. Tup smiled, before he shyly moved to rest against Jek’s side. Jek wrapped an arm around him, his heart fluttering happily as Tup’s familiar warm, bulk settled against him. 

“Tup?” Jek asked hesitantly.

“Mm?” 

“Can I…can I let your hair loose?” Jek asked. Tup looked up at him and smiled, giving another shy nod. Jek reached up to tug Tup’s hair tie loose, placing it aside, before running his fingers through Tup’s long, silky locks, brushing it out around his shoulders. 

“There,” Jek said and Tup could hear the smile in his voice. “Oh, how I love your hair.”

“Just my hair?” Tup teased, blinking up at Jek innocently.

“Of course not, cheeky one,” Jek chuckled as he ran his fingers across Tup’s cheekbone, watching as Tup’s eyes fluttered at the sensation. “I love every bit of you and I’m going to prove it to you.”

Tup smiled as he rested against Jek, closing his eyes and relaxing as Jek continued to run his fingers through his hair, soothing him.

For the first time since that horrible night, since his birthday, Tup felt at peace.

He had his _ori’vods_ back and safe…and now he had Jek back too.

 

Satine sighed as she walked down the hallways, feeling exhausted. Her advisors had been on her all day about the clones and Fett, no matter what Satine said to try and pacify them…but at the end of the day, she was the Duchess, not them and she would not refuse a safe haven to those seeking it. 

Satine looked up as she heard footsteps, pausing as she saw Fett walking towards her. He paused as he spotted her.

“Duchess,” he murmured, glancing at the dimly lit, empty hallway. Most of the workers had gone for the night. “The boys missed you at dinner.”

“Yes, well, unfortunately being the Duchess doesn’t allow me to socialise,” Satine grumbled before she sighed, looking to Jango who was nodding in understanding.

“What are you doing out here?” she asked him. Jango raised an eyebrow at the question.

“I was checking on the boys,” he answered, “making sure they were comfortable and safe.”

“Oh, how are they settling in?” Satine asked, concerned.

“They’re fine,” Jango assured her. “All comfortable, well fed, though Kote is still quiet.”

Satine nodded, before hesitating. “Fett…care to join me for a nightcap?”

Jango’s eyebrows raised in surprise at that, but he gave a small nod.

“I’d be honoured, Duchess.”

“Satine, please…I’ve had enough of being the Duchess for today,” Satine smiled tiredly at him before gesturing for him to follow. Jango fell into step beside her as they walked towards her suite. She led him inside and gestured towards the one of the couches. Jango settled down on one, leaning back against the arm as he watched her walk to a small bar recessed into the wall and pour a couple of drinks. 

“Corellian brandy okay?” she asked suddenly, looking towards him.

“That’s perfect.” 

“I don’t drink it often,” Satine told him as she walked back towards him, carrying two glasses. “Obi-Wan loves it, so I usually have a bottle or two here for him, but I rarely see him these days.”

Jango nodded a thanks as he took the glass from Satine, watching as she settled into the soft, dark blue armchair beside him, sighing as she could finally relax. 

“You’ve known Kenobi a while then?” Jango asked her. “I was surprised when he said that you had agreed to hide the boys, being a Neutral planet and all.”

“Yes, I’ve known Obi-Wan since he was a Padawan,” Satine smiled at the memory of the lanky Padawan with the terrible haircut. “I believe he was about seventeen when he and his Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, came to protect me. We spent a year on the run.”

Jango blinked in surprise at that. “So, that’s why you agreed to help him.”

Satine nodded in confirmation. “He has a good heart, and I know how much he loves Cody, so to hear him so terrified, pleading for me to hide him…I couldn’t refuse him, even though it’s caused headaches with my advisors. Besides, I couldn’t turn down refugees, even if they are clones involved in war.”

Jango nodded, biting his tongue on his opinion on the war, taking a sip of his drink instead. Satine sighed as she looked at him, looking exhausted. 

“Seems exhausting to be the Duchess,” Jango joked, gaining a half-hearted glare from Satine before it softened. 

“Between the advisors giving me a headache about the clones, there’s Death Watch always on the prowl and the people are growing uneasy,” Satine admitted. “The war, even if we aren’t part of it, is taking its toll as trades and imports are limited and choked off by both sides. Death Watch likes to take advantage of that and say I’m not fit to lead, that I’m killing Mandalore.”

Jango winced at that, noticing Satine’s steady gaze.

“You believe that too, don’t you?” she asked him evenly.

“I believe that isn’t good to stifle all of Mandalore’s old traditions,” Jango said carefully. “I wasn’t born on Mandalore so, despite being born within the Mandalore system, I’m not considered Mandalorian…but the man who adopted me, who saved me, was and he raised me on Mandalorian code and values.”

“And what did he teach you?” Satine asked curiously.

“Family, honour, courage and strength,” Jango told her with a sad smile as he remembered Jaster. “ _Aliit, ijaa, gett’se, kot_. He used to repeat that constantly as we trained.”

“Good values to have,” Satine murmured. 

“Ones I tried to instill in Boba, though Aurra Sing managed to corrupt him for a bit, but we had words when I came back for him,” Jango said with a rueful smile. “I understand wanting peace, Satine, but if you strip away the culture of the people, it will just make them grow bitter and rebel against you.”

Satine sighed and sagged further into her seat, taking a vicious swig of her drink which rather impressed Jango.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about what you said this morning, the points you made,” she told him, albeit grudgingly. “I just fear that we will go back to being the Mandalore we once were, where it was just bloodshed and Mandalorians were known for being heartless killers. I don’t want that Mandalore back, not the one who took my family from me, who burnt Mandalore to the ground.”

“I agree with that,” Jango told her, surprising her. “Jaster would agree to that too, that’s why he made the True Mandalorians, to go after those like the Death Watch who were power hungry and bloodthirsty. I don’t think letting the clans have their armour back or teaching our _ad_ to fight and defend themselves would be bad, but if parts of the old culture is introduced, it has to be merged with the new.”

“Like with the new laws you outlined,” Satine said. “No fighting or killing for perceived slights or for revenge. If there are any issues between clans, any fight for redemption, which would be to first blood only, would have to be cleared by a higher authority.”

Jango nodded. “And any that don’t agree to that will be stripped of their armour, their titles, and disgraced.”

Satine leaned back as she regarded Jango. Once she would have been steadfast against this and would have heard no talk about it, but the war and Death Watch had been wearing on her, as had her people’s discontent and mutterings about the old ways. 

Some parts of the old culture wouldn’t be too bad to carefully introduce back in, but others would never come back. 

“You know, when Obi-Wan told me that you were the one escorting Cody and the others, I was so angry at him,” Satine told Jango, who just chuckled. “I thought for sure that you would come in and try to usurp me…but you haven’t nor do you seem interested.”

Jango’s expression grew dark. “I led people once, my family, and they all died and I spent years as a slave. I don’t want to lead again, not after that…that’s why I never came back.”  
“You would be a better leader than Vizsla,” Satine said firmly. “He’s the one who claims he’s the _Mand’alor_ , but that title is still yours.”

Jango looked at Satine, frowning. “What are you suggesting?”

“A partnership,” she said, leaning forward, gaze firm and steady as she met Jango’s gaze. “If the people saw their Duchess and their _Mand’alor_ working together for the future and protection of Mandalore, working against the Death Watch, I believe it would give them hope and unite them.”

Jango just stared at Satine in disbelief.

“You’ve come to this decision, a rather large one mind you, after not even a day?” he asked carefully. “Why now? Why change your beliefs now?”

“Because I’m tired, Jango, and I’ve watched too many of our people die in the Death Watch’s sick attempt to overthrow me and cause unrest within the people,” Satine told him, leaning back. “Like I said, I don’t want things to go back to the way they were completely, but I…I am willing to compromise to make our people happy…and I truly believe having you there beside me, to help oversee the warriors and the clans, would be the best thing for Mandalore.”

Jango was speechless. He honestly didn’t expect that.

“And honestly, Jango, after watching you interact with Boba and Cody and the others, I can see you aren’t the heartless, bloodthirsty killer that stories made you out to be,” Satine finished. Jango gave a bitter smile at that, downing his drink.

“History is written by the winners after all,” Jango said bitterly, “and after the slaughter at Galidraan, I couldn’t defend myself or the honour of my fallen brothers and sisters as Death Watch besmirched us and I was forced into slavery.”

“Will you help me then, Jango?” Satine asked. “Will you help me fight against Death Watch for our people’s future?”

Jango paused for a moment to think. He could see Mandalore in the future that Satine described. He could see the mix between the old ways and Satine’s peaceful ways, a harmony between them and a contentment of the people as they could embrace their heritage in the best way, not the bloodiest way. He could see Boba flourishing here, helping to teach the kids to fight and defend themselves, and making a future outside of bounty hunting and having people trying to kill them every other day. 

“I will, Duchess, but only when the boys are safe,” Jango promised her. “I can’t put aside their protection, not when things are coming to a head.”

“I understand that completely,” Satine said with a smile, relaxing. “Obi-Wan didn’t tell me the true reason behind needing to get Cody away, he said the comms weren’t safe.”

“They’re not,” Jango said carefully. “He gave me a highly encrypted one when he came to get Kote, so he told me part of the reason, especially since I needed to organise all of the extra protection too…Kote and Rex told me the rest of the reason once we were off Coruscant.”

“What’s the reason?”

“Is it secure here?” he asked cautiously. 

“My room is constantly checked for bugs and I have a jammer constantly on, unless I chose to turn it off,” Satine informed him. Jango nodded, content with that answer.

“Palpatine is behind the war,” Jango told her, watching as Satine’s crystal blue eyes widened in shock, horror crossing her sharp face. He watched as she paled as she took in the ramifications of that statement.

“Kote went to his office and felt on edge, like there was danger so he began to panic,” Jango explained. “Apparently Palpatine just stared at him and stated that Kote was Force Sensitive.”

“But…he wouldn’t be able to know that unless…oh, by the Gods,” Satine breathed, realisation crossing her face. 

“He’s the Sith that orchestrated the war,” Jango sighed wearily. “Dooku told Kenobi that a Sith had caused this, that a Sith was within the Senate and he was right.”

“So he’s after Cody?” Satine breathed. Jango nodded, mouth pressing into a firm line.

“He sent the Coruscant Guard after him, but the _vode_ in charge grew up with Kote and helped him to get away, and back safe to the Temple.”

“Poor Cody,” she murmured. “No wonder Obi-Wan was so worried.”

Jango nodded. Satine stood up to go back to the bar.

“How about some Mandalorian wine?” Satine asked him. Jango nodded eagerly. He hadn’t had that in many years. Satine walked back over, handing Jango the glass. Jango made an approving noise as he had a sip. They both sat in silence for a while, both sipping and enjoying the wine. 

“I feel sorry for Cody,” Satine said carefully, getting Jango’s attention. “He’s already been through so much and now this is happening to him. He’s…he’s quite vulnerable now too,” Satine added with a furtive look to Jango. “When I first met him, he was strong, confident and steadfast, but he’s so vulnerable and scared now, it shocked me to see how much he had changed.”

“As you said, he’s been through a lot,” Jango sighed, leaning back in his chair, his lips thinning. “What happened broke him and left him with a lot of bad memories and fears. He won’t ever be the same, but eventually he’ll heal enough to get on with his life and I do believe that once he and Kenobi tie the knot and move away from all of this war and politics, Kote can truly began to recover.”

“Well, that’s all we can hope for then,” Satine sighed. Jango nodded. 

“He was always a good kid,” Jango murmured. “I was always fond of him, Rex and their squad. Boba adored them too. I just want to see them free and happy. I may not have liked the Jedi in the start, especially after I saw how fallible they are, but I can see they do care for the boys, especially Kenobi. He truly loves Kote and I know that he can help Kote heal.”

“Obi-Wan will do all he can to help Cody,” Satine agreed with a fond smile. “Though I know he fears he won’t survive what’s coming, I know he will, just so he doesn’t leave Cody alone.”

Jango nodded in agreement.

 

Rex cracked open a tired eye as he heard a door creak. He carefully pushed himself, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he looked to the door adjoining his and Cody’s room.

“Codes?” he mumbled tiredly. “That you?”

“Sorry, Rex,” Cody whispered as he came closer to the bed, hand rubbing the opposite upper arm nervously. “I-I just…I…I couldn’t sleep.”

Rex gave Cody a tired smile before shifting back towards Fives. Fives, who had woken at the sound of Rex’s voice, silently shifted over to the far side of the bed, allowing Rex to shift to the middle of the bed. 

“C’mon, Codes,” Rex smiled at him, patting the bed. Cody gave a weak, thankful smile as he climbed into the bed, lying down and facing Rex.

“Sorry,” Cody whispered, embarrassed.

“Don’t be, _ori’vod_ ,” Rex reassured him. 

“I didn’t want to intrude on you and Fives,” Cody continued quietly, shyly. 

“You’re not,” Fives’s voice spoke up warmly. “You’ll never intrude on us. We’re happy to have you here, Cody.”

Rex looked over his shoulder, smiling fondly at Fives. Cody settled down as Fives shifted closer to Rex, spooning him and wrapping an arm around his middle. Rex yawned as he snuggled back against to Fives, but reached out a hand to grasp Cody’s hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

“It’s all gonna be fine, Codes,” Rex mumbled sleepily, eyes drifting shut. Cody smiled at Rex as he settled down, feeling more at ease now that he was next to Rex. 

Finally, he found himself drifting off to sleep, comforted by Rex’s and Fives’s steady breathing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nice long chapter, since Jango and Satine liked to chat :)
> 
> Getting closer to the confrontation!! :D


	47. Surrender

Echo settled himself in the room he was sharing with Hevy, his comm held close in his hand as he settled down on the soft, comfortable bed, crossing his legs as he got comfortable. Echo dialled in the familiar frequency, smiling as the small blue holo appeared.

“ _Hello, Pup_ ,” Wolffe purred as he grinned at Echo. “ _How are you? Are you settled in?_ ”

“Hey, Wolf’ika,” Echo greeted back, the grin on his face only growing in size as he looked upon the small holo of Wolffe, feeling his stomach warm at the sight of him. “I’m okay, we all are, and we’ve settled in.”

“ _Duchess not giving you trouble?_ ”  
“No, she’s been nice,” Echo reassured him. “She’s been looking after Cody and there’s been something interesting going on with her and Jango.”

“ _Oh?_ ”

“Yeah, they were all arguing and sniping at each other yesterday and this morning they’ve got this weird friendship. I have no idea what’s changed overnight, but it’s definitely odd,” Echo chuckled. “So, how are you going?”

“ _We’re doing all right, just hanging about and keeping an eye on…_ ” the blue holo of Wolffe suddenly rippled and Echo straightened up, frowning.

“Wolffe? Wolffe, what’s going on?” Echo asked him worriedly. 

“ _Losing…you…not on our end…Echo…what’s…on?”_ Wolffe’s voice replied, just as worried.

“Wolffe…Wolffe!” Echo said, alarmed, as the holo suddenly cut out. Echo’s head snapped up as he heard a loud boom and the windows rattled. He leapt to his feet and bolted to the throne room, seeing his brothers joining him as they came close to the throne room. 

They hurried inside, ignoring the scandalized, yet panicked, looks from the advisors. Jango stood beside Satine, with Boba standing nearby, and was conversing with her in low, worried tones.

“Duchess, Jango, what’s going on?” Rex asked worriedly.

“We’re not sure,” Satine admitted. 

“I think communications have been jammed,” Echo added, only worrying them further. “I was talking to Wolffe and it just cut out.”

“We’re still getting internal comms though,” one of the Guards spoke up, looking to the Duchess. 

Another guard hurried in. “Duchess, we’re getting a communication.”

“Put it through,” Satine ordered, turning to a screen on the wall. The clones all stiffened as the image came through. Jek took Tup’s hand, squeezing it tightly, as he saw a shudder run up Tup’s lean frame.

General Grievous’s face was in the screen, those sickly yellow eyes staring straight at them.

“ _Ah, Duchess Satine,_ ” Grievous wheezed. “ _I take it you heard my warning shot._ ”

“What is the meaning of this?” Satine demanded. “You attacked a Neutral planet! This is an act of war!” 

“ _No one has been killed…yet,_ ” Grievous told her. “ _However, if you do not hand over those clones and their protectors that you are harbouring, I will fire upon the Sundari dome again and again until I breach it. People will die, I guarantee it._ ”

Satine just stared, not sure of what to say. That first shot had definitely rattled the dome; they had felt it even in the Palace. She could also see the dock workers being forced to kneel behind Grievous, droids aiming blasters at their heads. 

“You have us.”

Everyone spun around at Cody’s calm voice. Cody stepped up, meeting Grievous’s gaze. Rex was in disbelief as he stared at Cody, seeing the strong, unflappable Commander he once was. 

“We surrender, as long as we have your word that Mandalore will be left alone,” Cody continued coolly. 

“ _No tricks from you, clone, and we will leave the planet as soon as you’re on board_ ,” Grievous said, though he sounded disappointed about it. Cody nodded, looking around at his brothers and seeing the grim determination on their faces, getting small nods from them. 

“We have an agreement then.”

“ _You have twenty minutes and don’t even think about calling for help, I’ve jammed the communications,_ ” Grievous warned before the screen went blank.

“Cody,” Satine breathed. “Cody, you can’t do this. You can’t agree to go with him.”

“We have to, Duchess,” Cody said calmly. “We can’t allow Sundari to be destroyed for us, nor can we allow you to become involved, to drag Mandalore into war. Death Watch would use this against you. Mandalore doesn’t have the forces to fight back either; many people would die if Grievous attacked.”

“He’s right, Duchess,” Jango interjected, looking at Cody with pride. He knew how fearful Cody must be, to be taken by the enemy once again, but he was being so brave.

“I don’t like this,” Satine said quietly, slumping onto her throne. 

“You don’t need to,” Jango said simply, looking back to the clones. “Get your gear.” 

Jango watched as the others quickly hurried out, with Jek staying close by Tup’s heels. He clamped a hand down on Boba’s shoulder as Boba went to go.

“Not you, Boba,” Jango told him, looking down at his son. “You’re going to stay here with the Duchess and protect her.”

“But…!”

“No, Boba,” Jango said firmly. “Death Watch may use this as an excuse to attack the Duchess; she will need you to have her back…and I can’t let Grievous and his boss get their hands on you. I can’t lose you to them.”

Boba looked at Jango, his mouth twisted unhappily and dark eyes flashing, but he gave a reluctant nod. 

“Look after the Duchess, Boba.”

Satine stepped forward, placing a soft hand on Boba’s shoulder, making the teen glance up at her. Satine smiled sadly at him before she looked to Jango.

“We’ll take care of each other,” Satine reassured Jango, blue eyes sad. “Just look after yourself and the boys.”

Jango nodded to them both once more before he swiftly left the room, going to gather his armour and then join the boys. Satine and Boba watched him go. Satine’s heart felt heavy, not looking forward to telling Obi-Wan that she lost Cody.

 

Cody stood silently on the transport, feeling his heart in his throat as they got ever so closer to the docks where Grievous was waiting for them. He knew this would hurt Obi-Wan, but he couldn’t let Mandalore burn because of them. He just couldn’t allow it. What if Satine was killed? It would break Obi-Wan’s heart…and there was no guarantee that he wouldn’t survive the siege himself. 

It was better this way.

At least they might have a chance of surviving this to be rescued by the Jedi. Echo had said he’d been talking to Wolffe when communications were jammed, so the Jedi knew that something wasn’t right. 

“You made the right choice, Codes,” Rex murmured to him. Cody just gave a small nod, looking around at his brothers and hoping he hadn’t just sentenced them to death. Boil and Waxer gave him reassuring nods, looking at him with determination. Tup gave him a weak, reassuring smile before looking to Jek, who shuffled closer to Tup. 

“He’s right, Kote,” Jango said gruffly. “At least now there’s a chance we’ll all survive this. If Grievous had attacked Sundari, there was a good chance some of us would have died.”

“I know,” Cody murmured, shifting his gaze to look out at the approaching docks. It might have been the right decision, but it didn’t make it easier to bear.

The transport pulled into the docks and they all filed out, with Cody leading them, and headed towards where Grievous stood, watching them all intently.

“Smart decision,” he laughed before coughing. “Droids, get their bags and search them.” 

Cody easily gave up his bag, though his heart ached at the thought of losing Obi-Wan’s robe which was tucked safely within it. 

“No weapons, sir,” one of the droids spoke up as Grievous paced up and down in front of the clones, watching them closely. “Though there is armour in one of the bags.”

“Armour is no issue,” Grievous sneered. “It won’t do any good when it’s locked away.”

“What should we do with it, sir?”

“Lock it away,” Grievous ordered. “Count Dooku can decide what to do with it later.”

Cody watched as the droids went to pick up the bags before rolling his eyes as some of them tripped over.

“Take them to the cells,” Grievous barked at the clones before doubling over and coughing once again. He stalked back towards the ship, leaving the droids to herd the clones, Jango and Jek towards and into the ship. Cody’s heart was racing as they separated them into groups, spreading them within three cells. 

He should have realised that Dooku was behind this, but he couldn’t help the dread that slowly consumed him. He remembered the lengths Dooku had gone to last time to make Obi-Wan Fall, using him as bait. Cody couldn’t let that happen again; he couldn’t be the reason that Obi-Wan fell. 

“Easy, _ad’ika,_ ” Jango’s voice murmured suddenly, soothingly, as warm, heavy hands rested on his shoulders and gave a slight squeeze. Cody hadn’t realised he had been close to hyperventilating with panic. 

“Dooku…” Cody managed to force out. “He tried to use me a-and what was happening to me to get Obi-Wan to join him. I-I can’t let that happen, not now.”

“Your _cyare_ is strong, Kote,” Jango reassured him. “It will be okay.”

Jango led Cody over to one of the benches, settling the pale clone down to sit. Kix and Jesse immediately moved closer, murmuring softly to him, taking his hands and holding them close. 

Jango sat down near Jek and Tup, sighing heavily as he rested his head in his hands, mentally preparing himself for all the situations that could possibly arise from this. 

What they didn’t know, that halfway across the Galaxy, the Jedi were about to make a move against the Chancellor.

 

Wolffe rushed to the bridge as soon as his communication with Echo cut out, knowing that something was terribly wrong.

“General!” Wolffe called out as he ran to Plo’s side. Plo turned to look at him, concerned as he saw the state Wolffe was in as Wolffe doubled over to catch his breath, panting heavily, with his greys all dishevelled.

“Wolffe, my son, what is it?” Plo asked worriedly.

“It’s…it’s Echo,” Wolffe panted as he straightened up. “Something is wrong on Mandalore.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was talking to Echo when the communication cut out, like it had been jammed,” Wolffe explained, desperately hoping that Plo would realise that this was serious. Plo, of course, trusted Wolffe’s instincts and turned immediately to one of the techs.

“Radar!” he called to one of the Soft Shell communication officers.

“Yes, sir?” Radar replied, straightening up as Plo walked towards him.

“I need you to contact Mandalore,” Plo ordered. “Contact the Duchess.” 

Radar nodded. “On it, sir.”

Plo turned back to Wolffe, feeling his distress, before looking to Boost. 

“Boost, get us to Mandalore,” he ordered, knowing it was better to be safe than sorry. If this turned out to be nothing, than there was no harm done. Boost nodded before quickly moving to get the ship moving towards Mandalore, though it would take at least an hour through hyperspace. 

“Sir, I can’t make contact,” Radar spoke up, frowning. “I can’t get any signal to Mandalore.”

“Oh no,” Plo heard Wolffe whisper, voice breaking.

“Keep trying, Radar.”

“Yes, sir.”

Plo turned to Wolffe, placing his hands on his shoulders. 

“We’re going to find him, Wolffe,” Plo promised him quietly. “I will not rest until he’s back safe with you.”

“General, it’s just under an hour to Mandalore,” Boost spoke up. “We’re pushing the engines as fast as we can through hyperspace.”

“Why did we have to be so far away?” Wolffe growled as he began to pace across the bridge, agitated. 

“You know we had to be in Republic space, Wolffe,” Plo said calmly. “We’re right on the edge between Republic and Neutral space, but if the Separatists saw we were in Neutral space, they would attack us and we wouldn’t be able to protect Echo and the others.”

“…what if we’re too late?” Wolffe whispered, looking to Plo, his one golden eye wide and wet with unshed, fearful tears. Plo quickly moved to his side again, resting his hands on Wolffe’s shoulders.

“We will find him,” Plo told him firmly. “I **know** he is still alive, Wolffe, and we will find him.”

Plo stood by Wolffe’s side, sending calming vibes to him and murmuring reassuringly to him, as they continued to get closer to Mandalore. 

As they neared the system, Radar spoke up.

“Sir, we’re being contacted by the Sundari Palace.”

“Put them through, Radar.”

Plo walked to the holo table – Wolffe right on his heels – and watched as a holo appeared.

“Duchess Satine,” Plo greeted.

“ _Master Jedi,_ ” Satine returned, though she sounded flat. 

“We had concerns that something had happened to you,” Plo told her. “Wolffe was conversing with Echo when the communication cut out.”

Satine’s sad gaze landed on Wolffe.

“ _Something did happen_ ,” she said heavily. “ _Grievous came for them. He took them all._ ”

“How?!” Wolffe howled. “Why didn’t you protect them?!”

“Wolffe,” Plo admonished, voice sharp. 

“ _It’s okay, Master Jedi,_ ” Satine sighed, looking to Wolffe once again. “ _I know that he and Echo are in a relationship, I know that he’s just worried, and I understand that. Cody was the one who agreed to surrender and the others quickly agreed. They didn’t give me a choice._ ”

“How long ago did they leave?” Plo asked her.

“ _About twenty minutes ago_ ,” Satine sighed, looking tired and older than her years. “ _It took us that long to restore communications._ ”

“We will begin trying to track down all possible routes,” Plo said, looking to Wolffe, who was pacing irritably. 

“ _Should…should I contact Obi-Wan?_ ”

Plo sighed out heavily, looking to Wolffe as he paused in his pacing.

“No,” Plo murmured regretfully. “They will be about to put their plan into action. We cannot afford to distract them now, not when their lives are at risk.” 

They all went silent as they thought of what was going to occur on Coruscant. 

“We will work on finding our missing sons,” Plo told Satine. “We will keep you updated.”

“ _Thank you, Master Jedi…and may the Force be with you…and with Obi-Wan._ ”

 

Obi-Wan stood in the main atrium of the Jedi Temple, watching as members of the 212th and 501st walked about, positioning themselves so they were the first line of defence for the Temple. 

“Drallig has them all moving into position,” Mace spoke up as he stood beside Obi-Wan. “All entrances and exits are covered.”

Obi-Wan nodded, watching as the senior Knights – who Drallig had picked – all stood around, speaking to one another and preparing. He frowned when he saw a clone in greys come hurrying in.

“Commander Fox,” Obi-Wan greeted in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

Fox stopped in front of him, looking between him and Mace. 

“The Chancellor knows you sent Cody away,” Fox told them regretfully. “He brought me to his office to tell me. I think he suspected I might have something to do with it, but I was just as surprised as he was.”

Mace looked to Obi-Wan and then to Ponds as he came to join them. 

“The Chancellor is the Sith Lord, Fox,” Mace told him, watching as Fox stiffened, eyes widening. 

“But…what does that mean then? What’s going to happen?!” Fox stammered, looking to Ponds in disbelief. Ponds just gave a grim nod in confirmation. 

“We’re going to confront him,” Obi-Wan explained. “We can use your help getting him out of his office so we can set everything up.” 

Fox nodded, mouth twisting into a determined line. “Of course. I’ll go organise it with Thorn and Thire, but it will kept quiet,” Fox reassured them. 

“Thank you, Fox,” Obi-Wan sighed, rubbing at his neck tiredly. “It will be most helpful to have your assistance. It will definitely make things easier.”

“Talk to Bail Organa and Padme Amidala,” Mace added. “They can assist you.”

“Will do, Generals,” Fox snapped to attention. “I will let you know when it’s safe to enter. Just let me know if you require my help.”

“We will, Fox, thank you.”

Obi-Wan watched as Fox quickly left the Temple, going back to prepare. 

“All exits and entrances, both secret and known, are covered,” Anakin said as he approached with Ahsoka beside him. “I’ve also set the droids to look out for anything suspicious.”

“Good job, Anakin,” Obi-Wan murmured, frowning. 

“What’s wrong, Obi-Wan?” Mace asked, seeing the look on his face. Obi-Wan’s frown deepened, his grey eyes going distant.

“I’m not sure,” Obi-Wan murmured. “I-I sense something, as though something isn’t _right_ , but I’m not sure what.”

Mace exchanged a look with Ponds, who looked worried at that statement. 

“Don’t focus on it now, Obi-Wan,” Mace instructed him carefully. “If it becomes overwhelming, of course then focus on it, but it’s no use worrying yourself over something that isn’t clear.”

Obi-Wan gave Mace a wry smile. “So focus on the ‘here and now’.”

Mace sighed at that, giving him an unimpressed look. “I’m not Qui-Gon Jinn, thank you very much.”

Anakin cleared his throat awkwardly at that, looking to Ahsoka. 

“Well…everything is ready then, Masters.”

“We’re ready to defend our home.” Obi-Wan smiled as Feemor came to stand with them. Anakin looked to Ahsoka, who was staring at them with wide-eyes. 

“Now, Ahsoka, you are not to leave the Temple, no matter what happens,” Anakin told her firmly. “The younglings are counting on you to keep them safe, so fight with the clones, fight with the other Knights…but stay safe here.”

Feemor rested his hands on Ahsoka’s shoulders, smiling at her as she looked up at him.

“We can handle things here,” Feemor reassured Anakin. “All of you just make sure you come back.”

“It’s time, Obi-Wan,” Mace said, spotting the others by the entry. Obi-Wan nodded, looking around the Temple once more. He chuckled as Ahsoka threw herself at him, hugging him tightly.

“Protect the Temple, young one,” Obi-Wan murmured to her. “I’m so proud of you, Ahsoka.”

“Come back home, Master Obi-Wan,” Ahsoka whispered.

“Of course, Padawan.”

Ahsoka let Obi-Wan go so she could attach herself to Anakin, who hugged her back tightly.

“Time to go,” Mace said once more as he and Ponds began walking towards the entry, with Ponds putting his helmet on as they walked. 

“Yes…it’s time,” Obi-Wan murmured before he followed, steeling himself for what was to come. 

 

Obi-Wan quietly moved through the Senate building as Fox led him through hallways that his brothers had blocked off, citing ‘environmental spill’, to move him through the building unseen. 

“Organa and Amidala have managed to get Palpatine from his office,” Fox murmured to Obi-Wan as they hurried along. “We’ve also managed to get his secretary to leave for the day, so he won’t know you’re there until he comes back.”

Obi-Wan nodded. 

“Thorn and Thire have taken the others to hide them until they receive the signal.”

Obi-Wan nodded once more as they arrived in front of Palpatine’s office. Obi-Wan looked back to Fox, who was looking around, making sure no one saw them.

“All clear, sir…and good luck.”

“Thank you, Fox.”

Fox nodded once more before he quickly hurried away. Obi-Wan quickly and silently moved into the office. He placed the small cameras throughout the office, making sure that it was well covered. 

“Twitch,” Obi-Wan spoke into his comm. “How are those placements?”

“ _Set perfectly, General_ ,” Twitch replied. “ _Feed is playing to the other Generals and I’m set to begin the broadcast as soon as he says something incriminating. It won’t be playing live, but there will only be about a few moments delay_.”

“Perfect, thank you, Twitch.”

“ _I’ll be keeping an eye on you in case you need backup, but don’t forget the other Generals are watching too._ ”

“Thank you, Twitch.”

Obi-Wan moved to stand near the window, looking out. Echo had suggested Twitch before he had left for Mandalore. Twitch was on top of things when it came to the broadcast.  
“It’s almost over, Cody,” Obi-Wan murmured, wishing he could speak to him, but Cody was too far away for their bond to connect properly. “It’s almost over.”

Now the only thing Obi-Wan had to do was make Palpatine talk...and with how much Palpatine **loathed** Obi-Wan, well...Obi-Wan was confident he would brag about his 'great plan'.

Obi-Wan took in a deep breath, closing his eyes to center himself. He had to be prepared to face Palpatine.

 

Palpatine grumbled under his breath as he walked back to his office. Organa and Amidala were frustrating, pulling him out of his office for some useless meeting. They had claimed to have some evidence to show him, but it was nothing…as per usual. 

Palpatine sneered as he approached his office.

Oh, he was looking forward to ending Organa and Amidala. It would be so satisfying after all of the trouble they had given him, all of the wrenches they had thrown into his plans.  
Palpatine walked into his office, freezing as he felt the disgustingly light Force presence before he spotted the figure at the window, who turned to face him, face even and calm but his grey eyes and Force presence stormy, preparing for a fight.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi,” he sneered. 

Oh, he was going to enjoy this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh!!  
> What's going to happen!? :P
> 
> You all enjoying how this is starting to end?


	48. Confrontation

Obi-Wan faced the Chancellor, the Sith Lord, doing his best to keep his emotions in check – despite how much he just wanted to jump over and throttle that man.

“Chancellor Palpatine,” Obi-Wan greeted as he went over his shields and, regretfully, blocked the bond with Cody, unable to risk any sort of distractions. “Or do you prefer Darth Sidious?”

Palpatine paused for a moment and Obi-Wan took pleasure in the way that his Force presence rippled in surprise – as Obi-Wan had shocked him so much that he dropped his own shields a fraction. 

Palpatine’s cold eyes flickered to his desk and he gave a rueful smile before he slowly walked over, turning off and disabling any and all recording devices in his office, unknowing that Obi-Wan had planted his own, independent, miniscule spy cameras. 

“Well, well,” Palpatine drawled once all of the surveillance was off. “I must admit, I wasn’t expecting you to discover this so soon. You Jedi are so _blind_.” 

Obi-Wan folded his arms across his chest.

Well, hadn’t expected Palpatine to agree so quickly, but then again, villains always did have a thing about bragging…and Palpatine thought he was safe since he had turned his surveillance off. 

“Well, you have been running us ragged,” Obi-Wan countered easily, “making sure we didn’t focus too much of our attention on you.”

Palpatine chuckled darkly. “Yes, yes,” he said easily. “Orchestrating this war was far too easy, with Senators all too willing to give me more and more power.”

“So you could undermine the Jedi and take us out, like a true Sith,” Obi-Wan bit out, eyes narrowing. Palpatine just smirked as he paced, his smirk widening as he saw Kenobi slip into a defensive position. 

Obi-Wan watched Palpatine, on edge and waiting for him to make a move. He knew Twitch would have started the broadcast now that Palpatine had openly admitted to orchestrating the war. 

Now he just had to bury him deeper before he gave the signal for the other Jedi to come back him up.

“I was hoping to turn the Republic against you, that way when I did decide to end you, I could make sure that the Jedi were blamed and I was seen as the victim. It would make it easier to become Emperor.”

Obi-Wan looked at him in disgust. “You were going to make an Empire.”

“Oh, I still am,” Palpatine sneered. “The Jedi will fall, especially after I frame you for attacking me and destroy all trust you have gained within the Republic, and then I will form the first Galactic Empire, stopping this war.”

“That you orchestrated,” Obi-Wan rebutted, gaining a thin smile from Palpatine.

“Of course…and I will have my new Apprentice by my side.”

“Oh, planning to get rid of Dooku, are you?” sassed Obi-Wan. “That is what Sith do, don’t they? Either the Master kills the Apprentice or the Apprentice kills the Master…seems like so much effort.” 

“All for power, young Kenobi, which you will _never_ understand,” Palpatine spat. “Dooku always tried to tell me that you could Fall, that you would be a powerful ally, but he was blinded by his sentiment towards you.” 

“Then truly he is the wise one out of the two of you,” Obi-Wan retorted. “Attachments and sentiments are not weaknesses.”

Palpatine scoffed before pausing in his pacing, looking to Obi-Wan.

“I am surprised that you are here alone, Kenobi,” Palpatine said thoughtfully. “If you have discovered that I am truly the Sith Master, then why isn’t your Council here to take me in or destroy me?”

“Oh, they’ll come along eventually,” Obi-Wan said vaguely, knowing that they were readying themselves now to come to his aid. “But I wanted to face you alone first.”

“Hmm, than you are either braver or more foolish than I thought,” Palpatine responded. “And why did you want to face me alone?”

“There are several reasons,” Obi-Wan growled as he began to pace, ready to pounce on the man who was so determined to destroy his life and kill his friends and family. “One, you’re trying to turn Anakin against me,” growled Obi-Wan. “He is my brother, I watched him grow up, and you will _not_ take him away from me! You will not turn him, to use him at your whim!” 

Palpatine just gave a cold smile. “We will see.”

“Secondly,” Obi-Wan continued, voice cold as his hand twitched, oh-so tempted to grab his lightsaber. “You threatened Cody.”

Palpatine laughed, the sound high and chilling. “He’s just a clone. You can replace him.”

Obi-Wan’s eyes darkened. “You will not touch my partner…no, my _fiancé_. You will _never_ get your dark claws on him.”

Palpatine stared at Obi-Wan, momentarily shocked, before he gathered his wits and a dark grin twisted his features. 

“Oh, this is _perfect_ ,” Palpatine purred. “Once I deal with you, I’m going to find Cody and I’m going to _break_ him. I will force him to work for me, to use his Force powers at my whim.”

Obi-Wan stared at him in disbelief. “Cody doesn’t have Force powers, you fool,” he hissed. “You’re sensing our bond!”

Palpatine glared at him. “Fine, but once I take care of you and the rest of the Jedi, I will get my hands on him, and I guarantee you that. While the other clones will be used to serve me, to reinforce the forces for my Empire, Cody will not be amongst them...no, I will sell him back into slavery. I will let my most valued allies use him and abuse him as they wish…and he will know that it is all your fault that he is in that life. He will suffer, never allowed to rest, until I deem him useless and end his life in the most painful way, so he can curse you and falling in love with you until his dying breath,” Palpatine sneered.

Obi-Wan was practically shaking with rage as he took his lightsaber in hand. He could feel the others on their way now and he was barely holding himself back.

Palpatine would never get his hands on Cody. Obi-Wan would make sure of that. 

Palpatine spun around as the door opened and Jedi came pouring in.

Mace Windu and Anakin Skywalker stood out front, flanked by Kit Fisto, Saesee Tiin, Ki-Adi Mundi and Eeth Koth.

Ponds, Fox, Thorn and Thire stood behind them with Bail Organa and Padme Amidala.

“What is this?” Palpatine demanded to know, putting on his act. 

Bail Organa moved forward, his usually calm eyes filled with anger. “You know exactly what this about!” Bail snarled. “You’re the Sith Lord!”

“I don’t know what lies these Jedi have spouted,” Palpatine tried, looking to Anakin. “Anakin, my dear boy, you know this isn’t true.”

“We’ve all seen your confession, _Sidious_ ,” Padme snapped. “The whole Galaxy has seen it!”

Palpatine just stared at them, shocked. 

Fox tapped at his commpad, smirking as the footage from the office appeared on the screen; the footage that was currently being broadcast on The Light Side page. 

“No!” Palpatine snarled before he regained himself, looking to Fox. “Commander Fox, execute Order 66!”

Fox blinked, tilting his head and looking around at Ponds, Thire and Thorn. 

“Am I supposed to know what that is?” Fox asked idly.

“Oh, did I forget to mention we found the chips you implanted in the clones brains?” Obi-Wan asked smugly. “You know them, right? The chips that had orders programmed into them that would override the clones freewill, such as kill all the Jedi or kill the Senators, or even kill themselves? Yes, we found them and Anakin found a way to destroy them.”

“No!” Palpatine snarled, spinning towards his desk. A lightsaber flew from the desk and into his hand, a blood red blade igniting. 

“Thorn, Fox, get the Senators out of here!” Windu ordered before he ran forward, his lightsaber ignited. Obi-Wan jumped forward to counter Palpatine’s strike. Anakin ran to Obi-Wan’s side, knowing they worked best side by side.

Lightsabers flashed as blade met blade and the different opponents fell back as Force pushes shoved them back, before they were replaced by waiting allies in the sidelines, before they returned to the fight.

The fight was intense and never let up with Palpatine snarling at them, red blade whirling about and small, intense bursts of Force lightning being sent in the Jedi’s direction.

Obi-Wan gritted his teeth, sweat beginning to bead down his face as the fight kept going. He couldn’t allow himself to falter, especially when Eeth Koth and Saesee Tiin fell and remained still. 

Kit gave a pained cry as Palpatine’s lightsaber scorched his middle before he was thrown across the room and into a large statue. Kit fell to the ground, unmoving. 

Ponds, who had been hovering anxiously near the door, blaster in hand, leapt forward and grabbed Kit’s hand, dragging the unconscious Jedi from the room and out of the line of fire. 

Only Ki-Adi, Mace, Obi-Wan and Anakin were left to fight against Sidious. 

Ki-Adi didn’t last much longer, a blast of Force Lightning catching him directly in the chest and blasting him across the room. Ponds quickly hurried in, grabbing him and dragging him out. 

Ponds came back to lurk in the doorway, watching worriedly as Mace continued to fight against Palpatine. Palpatine spotted him in the doorway, snarling, before throwing Force Lightning at him. Ponds yelped as he threw himself out of the way, the wall behind where he had been standing exploding as the lightning hit it.

“Ponds, get out of here!” Mace yelled as he re-engaged Palpatine. “Go!” 

Ponds hesitated for a moment, not wanting to leave Mace, but he knew Palpatine would attack him to distract Mace and he could not allow Mace to be hurt because of him. Ponds gave a curt nod, but he didn’t go far. 

Mace, Obi-Wan and Anakin continue to battle Sidious, who was proving to be a tough opponent. 

Anakin was kicked back and Obi-Wan and Mace locked their lightsabers with Sidious. 

“You know you can’t beat us!” Mace snarled at him.

“The whole Galaxy know who you truly are, Sidious!” Obi-Wan snapped. “Surrender now and your fate will be decided by the Senate!”

Sidious turned his golden eyes to Obi-Wan, glaring at him. “I am the Senate!” 

Sidious moved quickly, blade twisting and catching Mace’s arm, taking it off just above the left elbow, before thrusting his lightsaber deep into Mace's right thigh. Mace cried out in pain and Obi-Wan reacted quickly, Force Pushing Mace away and out of Sidious’s reach. 

Sidious paid no mind to the fallen Jedi; he would deal with them later, but for now, he needed to focus on destroying Kenobi and bringing Skywalker to heel. 

He locked blades with Kenobi once more as Skywalker recovered from bashing his head against a statue. 

Their blades flew in a blaze of red and blue as they continued to duel in the large office, taking care not to trip on the still bodies on the floor – though Obi-Wan wasn’t quite sure if Eeth Koth and Saesee Tiin were still alive. 

“I’ve changed my mind,” Sidious hissed. “I’m not going to whore out your precious clone _Pet_ …no, I think I’ll keep him for myself, just so I can remind him how _you_ failed. He will be forced to be my consort; forced to watch as I order the deaths of all the clones, all of his _brothers_ ,” Sidious spat. “He will suffer endlessly until I tire of him.”

Obi-Wan snarled, lightsaber snapping forward against Sidious's aggressively as he struggled to contain his rage. Sidious could feel the anger and rage welling within Obi-Wan and grinned.

“Well, well, it looks like Dooku wasn’t completely wrong about you,” Sidious crooned. “Such anger and rage within you.”

Obi-Wan spotted an opening and quickly took it, burying his lightsaber into Sidious’s middle. 

The shocked look that Sidious gave him gave Obi-Wan a tremendous amount of glee.

“You will _never_ hurt Cody nor anyone else ever again!” Obi-Wan told him, voice low and almost shaking with exhaustion. Sidious snarled, raising his lightsaber once more over the exhausted Jedi, who was still clutching onto the lightsaber buried within Sidious’s stomach.

“NO!” 

Obi-Wan closed his eyes at the cry before hearing a thump and tiredly opening his eyes to see a headless body in front of him.

“Perfect timing as always, Anakin,” Obi-Wan quipped tiredly as he deactivated his lightsaber and stepped back, watching as Sidious’s body fell to the ground. Anakin gave a weak grin as he stepped over Sidious’s body, reaching up and wincing as he poked at the bleeding gash on his own forehead. He frowned as he looked to the body, seeing it smoking slightly.

“Uh…is it meant to be doing that?” Anakin asked. Obi-Wan blinked, forcing his eyes open.

“Doing…oh…I…I’m not sure,” Obi-Wan answered warily, seeing the smoking body. 

The darkness within Sidious, which he had kept hidden and buried for so long, could no longer be contained without a living vessel and burst forth in an explosion which sent Obi-Wan and Anakin flying backwards before the darkness dissipated back into the Force, leaving the office silent and eerie as bodies lay askew across the floor, all unmoving. 

 

Ponds rushed back to the Chancellor’s Office as soon as the feed went dark; whatever had happened with the Chancellor’s body had taken out their cameras. Ponds felt his heart racing in fear. He knew Mace had gone down, but now with the cameras out, he wasn’t sure if he was still alive.

He rushed into the office with the Senators, Fox, Thorn and Thire close behind. 

Ponds froze in the doorway, taking in the carnage. 

There was a low haze of smoke in the room, a scorch mark on the floor where the Chancellor’s body had been. Obi-Wan and Anakin had been thrown across the room, with Anakin lying partway behind the Chancellor’s desk, having been thrown across it, and Obi-Wan was lying askew on an overturned chair. Saesee Tiin and Eeth Koth were lying still, sprawled on the floor…and that was when Ponds saw Mace, lying on his side, his back to Ponds, and lying deathly still.

“Mace!” Ponds cried out worriedly, running over and sliding on his knees to a stop beside him. Ponds carefully rolled Mace over, barely hearing Padme’s worried exclamation as she saw Anakin lying there. Bail hurried over to Obi-Wan, while Thire, Thorn and Fox went to check on the fallen Jedi. 

“Thire, get medical!” Ponds ordered as he rolled Mace onto his back, worried golden eyes checking him over. “Oh, Gods, Mace,” Ponds breathed, horrified, as he saw the stump of the arm. 

“Thire!” 

“He’s coming, Ponds, it’s going to be okay,” Fox’s voice reassured him. Ponds swallowed as he pressed his shaking fingers against Mace’s neck, breathing out as he felt the small, steady thumping pulse under his fingertips. 

Mace was badly hurt, but he was alive. 

Ponds looked around as he cradled Mace in his arms, holding him close to his chest. Padme was kneeling beside Anakin, gently carding her fingers through his hair, murmuring softly to him, despite him being unconscious. 

Padme looked up, catching Ponds’s gaze. 

“He’s alive, just unconscious,” Padme told him, smiling weakly. “Is Mace okay?”

“Unconscious…and badly hurt,” Ponds said, his voice catching in his throat. 

“Obi-Wan has a few burns,” Bail spoke up worriedly from where he was kneeling beside Obi-Wan, having carefully moved him to lie flat on the floor. “He’s unconscious as well.”

“Saesee Tiin and Eeth Koth are dead,” Fox spoke up gravely, looking between them. 

Ponds looked up as Thire hurried back in, followed closely by Jedi Healers who were led by Vokara Che.

“We were watching the broadcast,” Vokara explained as she saw their shocked looks, hurrying over to Ponds. “We knew we should be close by for the end.”

Vokara quickly looked over Mace before she ordered two of the Guard to get him to the transport. 

“Go with him, Ponds,” Vokara murmured as Mace was quickly transferred onto a stretcher. “He’ll need you when he wakes up.”

Ponds nodded and stayed by the stretcher’s side. 

“Master Healer, how are Masters Fisto and Mundi?” Bail asked as Vokara walked by Saesee and Eeth, giving them regretful looks, seeing Fox had already folded their hands across their chests for peaceful rest. 

“They’re at the Temple being taken care of,” Vokara said absently as she crouched beside Obi-Wan, looking over him and his wounds. She clicked her tongue worriedly and gestured for Guards to take him. 

“Be careful with him,” she warned them before she moved over to Anakin. She gave Padme a small, reassuring smile before she looked over the still Jedi Knight. 

“He and Obi-Wan will both need time in the bacta tanks and to recover from psychic shock, but they’ll be okay,” Vokara reassured Padme, seeing the Senator physically relax at that news, her eyes going wet. 

“Thank you.” 

Vokara waved her hand over for the Guards to collect Anakin. 

“You’re welcome to wait at the Temple,” Vokara told Padme. Padme looked to Bail, who gave a tired smile.

“Mon and I can handle the aftermath – well, I hope we can hold off the angry Senators,” Bail laughed tiredly. 

Fox stepped up, walking to Bail’s side and snapping to attention.

“The Coruscant Guard will stand by your side, sir,” Fox promised, snapping a salute. Bail blinked at him in surprise, before smiling weakly.

“Thank you, Commander Fox.”

 

Padme followed Vokara from the Chancellor’s office, heading out of the Senate building. 

A clone in 212th gold came hurrying towards them, falling into step beside them.

“Just so you know, the Senators and public have converged on the Senate Dome,” the clone said hurriedly. “We’ve got the transport covered and only Senators will be able to enter the Dome once your transport has cleared, Master Healer.”

“Thank you,” Vokara smiled at him. “I’ve heard that Master Yoda is on his way to assist with the aftermath, now that the Temple and the younglings are safe from Sidious.” 

“We’ll keep an eye out for him, Ma’am,” the clone said.

“And my patients are loaded, Trooper?”

“Digger, Ma’am…and, yes, all loaded and secured. No one is getting near your transport. They’ll have to go through all of us to do so.”

“Good man, Digger,” Vokara nodded, impressed. She and Padme headed onto the transport after Anakin’s stretcher was loaded onto the transport.

“Pilot, get us back to the Temple, transpond the emergency codes,” Vokara ordered before she made her rounds around the transport, looking over her patients.

She paused by Obi-Wan, glancing over his pale face, which had screwed up slightly in discomfort. Vokara rested a hand on his shoulder, sending soothing and healing vibes through to him.

“Rest, Obi-Wan,” she murmured. “You and your love will be reunited soon, but it’s time to rest. You’ve done well.”

 

Cody glanced up as he heard the familiar sound of droid footsteps marching towards them. Jango stood up as a droid stopped in front of door. 

“All of you out!” it ordered. “Stay in line or you’ll be shot, clone!” 

Cody carefully moved out of the door once it opened, seeing a squad of droids standing nearby, blasters trained on them. Cody sighed, relaxing slightly, as Rex stepped out of the neighbouring cell, coming to stand behind Cody. Rex gently reached out to subtly touch Cody’s hand, finding himself relaxing, knowing Cody was there and okay. 

The droids marched them off the ship and towards a very large, elegant building, which towered above them. Grievous was standing up the path, which was surrounded by large, domineering statues, and was watching them closely, his sickly yellow eyes glinting. 

“Ah, Grievous, you brought them,” Dooku’s voice rang out as he stepped out of the large palace like building. Dooku looked over the clones, Fett and the extra bounty hunter as the droids lined them up.

“As ordered, Count Dooku,” Grievous replied. “The droids have their bags, nothing of note, but you asked for everything they had.”

“Good, good,” Dooku nodded, his cool gaze landing on Cody. “Were there any issues at Mandalore?”

“None,” Grievous replied, sounding disappointed. “No lives were taken as per your orders, Count.”

“Good,” Dooku responded absently. 

Cody looked to Rex, who was frowning slightly as he stared up at Dooku. Dooku suddenly turned towards Dooku and the clones all startled at the sight of blood red blade protruding through Grievous’s back. 

Grievous just stared at Dooku, shocked. 

“No hard feelings, Grievous, but your use is at an end,” Dooku murmured as he retracted his blade from Grievous’s heart. "Sidious has fallen and you will cause me no end of issues with the Republic, which I don’t need.”

Grievous’s body fell to ground with a loud, metallic thump. Dooku just ignored it, turning back to the droids and the shocked clones.

“Captain,” Dooku barked, turning to the droid, who straightened up. “Get the clones bags inside and then you and your squads may recharge.”

“Y-Yes, sir,” the droid said, saluting. 

“This way,” Dooku ordered the clones, who looked at each other, unsure, before they followed, knowing they were at a disadvantage as Dooku’s own MagnaGuard watched them closely. 

“Ah, they’re here,” Ventress’s cool voice said as they followed Dooku into his large, imposing office. 

“Yes, Ventress, they are,” Dooku replied as he walked towards the console where she was leaning. “I also left you a gift by the front door.”

“Ooh, what is it?” Ventress grinned, making the clones shudder. 

“Grievous’s body.”

Ventress gave a sharp grin. “Best gift anyone has ever given me.”

“What is this?!” Cody demanded suddenly, gaining their attention. “Why have you brought us here!?” 

“Ah, yes,” Dooku drawled, turning to face them. “How rude of me not to explain.”

Cody stiffened, feeling Rex and Jango press against his sides as Dooku walked down to stop in front of him.

“Palpatine is dead,” Dooku announced. “While you were on your way here, the Jedi went after the Sith Lord, who so foolishly announced his plans and how he was the one who caused this war. There was a battle after Sidious, again being the fool he was, decided to threaten you, Cody,” Dooku explained, surprising him, “and Obi-Wan announced to the Galaxy that you two were engaged and he would never let Sidious harm you. Sidious ended up dying at Obi-Wan’s and Skywalker’s hands.”

“He’s okay?” Cody whispered, voice breaking. “Obi-Wan is okay?”

“I’ve heard he is injured, but he’s alive,” Dooku assured him, “but now with Sidious dead and the Senate in shambles, well, I am in need of assurances that I will not be targeted by the Republic once this over.”

“You’re using us as bartering chips,” Rex said deadpanned. 

“Exactly, young Rex,” Dooku smirked. “I have no desire to go back to the Republic, nor does most of the Separatist planets, but we need to come to an agreement, and with you here I know the Republic won’t attack, especially with Bail Organa as the interim Chancellor while the election is called.” 

“So we’re just here so the new Chancellor will meet with you?” Tup asked awkwardly. 

“Exactly,” Dooku nodded. “The Separatists want peace, which can now be achieved without Sidious, but we need to work out terms with the Republic.”

“The Jedi will come for us,” Rex bit, glaring at him. 

“They might,” Dooku agreed, “but they are unable to leave Coruscant with the Senate declaring that no one can leave or enter Coruscant until a new Chancellor is elected, so for now, you will be my guests.”

Cody looked to Rex, who looked unsure.

“Once the new Chancellor either comes themselves or sends a representative, I will release you,” Dooku sighed, seeing their looks. “But for now, you will remain here.”

Dooku turned on heel, walking back to Ventress’s side, who smirked at the clones.

“Now, let’s all behave and get along, because we all know how useless the Senate can be,” Dooku drawled as he turned to face them all once more. “Who knows how long it can take for them to decide on a new Chancellor?”

Cody sighed, looking to Rex again. 

He just wanted to see Obi-Wan, to make sure he was really okay and that Dooku wasn’t lying about all of this. 

If Sidious/Palpatine was truly dead…then there was a whole lot of new issues that would emerge and Cody knew this…and it worried him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry it's taken a while, but I couldn't get the fight quite right...and I've been working this week and was just exhausted...


	49. Rules

Dooku looked over the clones, seeing almost all eyes were on him, scowls fixed on many of their faces. He didn’t blame them; he had killed quite a number of them after all. The only ones not really looking at him was the young one with the top knot, Tup; the one that Cody and Rex had so desperately wanted to keep safe from Tris and Tram, and the bounty hunter standing beside him, who was watching Tup closely. 

His gaze shifted to Cody and Jango Fett, who were both glaring at him and he smirked.

“Well, I know how you clones are, always on the move and thinking ahead,” Dooku drawled. “So I have a way to stop you leaving. You will have free range of two levels in my home, but this will stop you from going anywhere you’re not meant to go or escaping. I can’t have you leaving before this deal is made.”

Dooku turned to his desk, grabbing a stack of items he had had altered once he had figured out his plan. He headed down towards the clones, with Ventress right behind him in case he needed help. 

“Hold out your arm,” Dooku said, looking at the clone with the tattoo over most of his face. The clone glared at him and Dooku raised an impatient eyebrow. “Unless you’d rather be locked in a cell until I have use for you? I mean, I don’t need _all_ of you after all.”

“Jesse, just do it,” murmured the clone with lightning bolts shaved into the side of his head, looking at him imploringly. 

Dooku recognized the name, realising that this clone was the replacement captain for the 501st. Jesse sighed, looking at the other clone with softened eyes before he looked to Dooku once more, glaring, and thrusting out his arm. Dooku placed a metal band around Jesse’s wrist, locking it in place. Jesse pulled back his wrist to look at the cool, black metal band with disgust.

“You will not be able to get it off unless I unlock it,” Dooku told him, eyes straying down the line to a certain clone, one that even he had heard of due to his research and technical skills…plus, he was one annoying ARC Trooper when it came to messing with the Separatists – him and that other one, the one that Rex adored.

“I will know if it has been tampered with, so don’t attempt it,” Dooku continued. “That means you, Echo…I know of your skills.”

Echo startled as Dooku said his name, shocked that the leader of the Separatists knew who he was. Fives glared at Dooku, shifting somewhat so Echo was partially hidden behind him. 

Dooku continue down the line, stopping in front of the clone with the lightning bolts. He sighed, looking at them with dismay.

“I should learn your names,” Dooku grumbled. “It will make things easier for all of us in the long run.”

“It’s Kix,” Kix said as Dooku snapped the band around his wrist. 

“What’s your role in the GAR?” Dooku asked curiously, wanting to discover what he could in case it was needed later on. 

“I’m the Chief Medical Officer for the 501st Legion,” Kix said firmly, standing straight. 

“A medic, useful,” Dooku murmured to himself before he continued on. 

“Hardcase,” grunted said clone as he thrust his arm out, letting Dooku place the band on him. “Ground Trooper and ammunitions expert.”

Dooku raised an eyebrow at that, looking at Hardcase’s tattoos.

“He likes to blow things up,” Rex explained bluntly. Dooku hummed at that, resolving to keep an eye on _that_ clone. 

Dooku continued to move down the line, getting their names and their roles. Most of them were just the everyday infantry trooper, though most of them held the title of either Lieutenant or Sergeant. These were definitely the clones from the Alpha squads, the ones who led companies and were trusted to take missions. 

“Fett,” Dooku drawled as he stopped in front of the aging bounty hunter, who just scowled at him. Dooku had met Jango Fett years before he had sought him out to be the clones template, on that fateful day at Galidraan. He had watched Fett kill several Jedi with his bare hands, filled with fury and hate as his brothers and sisters fell around him.

It was one of the reasons why Dooku chose Fett to be the template. 

Seeing the raw power within that man, it was something to see. Then he had discovered that Fett had survived slavery, breaking free to become one of the most renowned and feared bounty hunters in the Galaxy…and Dooku knew that Fett was the one they had needed.

“You left your son behind to protect the Duchess?” Dooku asked idly as he snapped the band shut on Jango’s wrist. “I was wondering why he and Bossk weren’t here.”

“Bossk wasn’t there to begin with,” Jango growled at him, dark eyes flashing dangerously. 

“Ah, but from what I know, where Boba is, Bossk isn’t far behind,” Dooku chuckled with a smirk. “You know how protective Trandoshans can get with those they claim as their offspring or family. Though, I do have to admit, I am surprised you actually survived Geonosis.” 

Jango just growled at him and Dooku raised an eyebrow.

“Your son would have been safe here, though I am not sure how safe he will be with Death Watch snapping at the Duchess’s heels.”

“You are not getting your hands on Boba!” 

“I have no need for him,” Dooku said absently, waving a dismissive hand. “Part of me is surprised you left him behind – but another part of me knows how much you care for these boys.”

Dooku moved on as Jango’s eyes darkened even further. He stopped in front of Cody, the corner of his lips twitching as he examined Cody’s face. Dooku was still surprised that Obi-Wan announced that he and this clone were engaged, knowing full well that it was being recorded and broadcasted to the Galaxy. 

Cody reluctantly held out his arm with a small shudder. Dooku was careful as he placed it around his wrist, feeling the eyes of the other clones and Jango glaring at him, but knowing why Cody was so reluctant.

“Yes, I did get this idea from Tram,” Dooku confirmed Cody’s unspoken fears. “But mine is simpler, less gaudy and less cruel.”

“Tagging us like wild loth cats,” Rex scoffed, “how is that less cruel?”

“Because mine won’t shock you until unconsciousness,” Dooku explained calmly. “The bands will mean doors won’t open to you if I’ve barred you from that room. If you manage to get into one, say if a door was left open, then I will be alerted. If I find out that you did it purposefully, then I will lock you in your room until I have need of you.”

Cody just swallowed, though his shoulders dropped minutely in relief as he examined the band around his wrist. Dooku just watched him for a moment, eyes raking over his face and wondering what drew Obi-Wan to this particular clone. 

Dooku pushed that thought aside for the moment – he could watch Cody now and see what he could see – before he moved onto Rex. 

The blond clone glared at him as he offered his arm. Dooku glanced to the side, seeing the clone with the number 5 tattooed on his head glaring daggers at him. 

“I remember you,” Dooku smirked as he closed the band on Rex’s wrist. “Didn’t I zap you for getting in my way?”

Fives’s glare just deepened and Dooku chuckled, looking back to Rex. 

“I also remember you being so worried about him,” Dooku continued, glancing down and noting the way Fives’s fingers twitched so close to Rex, as though they wanted to dart out and grab Rex’s free hand. 

Dooku hummed to himself, putting away that bit of information in case he needed it. He moved onto the glaring clone, smirking as he closed the band around Fives’s wrist. Dooku moved onto Echo, who just looked at him nervously, before fixing him with a stern look as he snapped the band close around Echo’s wrist.

“I meant what I said, Echo,” Dooku warned him. “I will know if you try to tamper or hack into the bands and you and your brothers will be punished for it. I don’t think you want to be responsible for getting your brothers in trouble, do you?”

Echo glanced at Fives before looking to Hevy before he sighed and shook his head.

“Good boy.”

Echo bristled at that but Dooku had already moved on, looking at Hevy’s unsure face and darting eyes.

“Ah yes,” Dooku hummed. “You were the clone in the Separatist prison, weren’t you?”

Hevy gave a small, unsure nod. Dooku nodded once more before he continued to move down the line. 

Dooku continued down, stopping in front of a young bounty hunter. The bounty hunter just glared at him, as he held his arm out. 

“And who are you meant to be?” Dooku asked.

“Jek,” Jek answered bluntly. Dooku watched as Jek glanced at Tup and Dooku recalled their earlier behaviour, when Jek stepped in front of Tup to protect him. Dooku suddenly recalled what Cody and Rex had said, that night long ago in that garden on Osiris at that dinner party. He remembered them talking about how Tram and Tris had hired a bounty hunter to get close to their little brother, to pretend to steal the young clone’s heart.

Dooku shifted to Tup, fastening the band around his wrist.

Well, it seemed like the bounty hunter also had his heart stolen by the young clone. 

Dooku stepped back next to Ventress, who had her arms folded across her chest, smirking as she looked at the line of clones. 

“Ventress will show you to the floor you will all be staying on,” Dooku said dismissively, getting a displeased look from Ventress. She remained silent though and swept past the clones. The clones exchanged glances but followed after Ventress, knowing better to annoy her, especially since they were on her turf. 

Dooku turned to go back to his desk before he paused, feeling eyes on him. He turned back around to see Cody had remained, though Rex and Jango had realised he hadn’t moved and had paused by the door, worried. 

“What is it, Cody?” Dooku asked, eyebrow raised.

“You…you said that Obi-Wan went against the Chancellor – the Sith,” Cody quickly corrected, “and that it was broadcasted to the Galaxy.”

“And?”

Cody sighed, looking at Dooku imploringly. “Could I see the footage that was broadcast?” Cody asked hesitantly. “I just…I just need to see that Obi-Wan is okay.”

Dooku considered Cody for a moment, taking in the worried amber eyes and the slight bitten lip.

“Obi-Wan is alive,” Dooku assured him. “I have heard from sources that he is still alive.”

“I just need to see him, please,” Cody begged weakly. “Please, I just need to see it. I need to see he’s okay.”

Dooku bit back a sigh, feeling Cody’s unease, worry and fear thick through the Force. He was so scared for Obi-Wan. 

Dooku could appreciate that fact; that Cody was so worried for Obi-Wan.

“I will bring you a datapad later so you can watch it,” Dooku acquiesced before giving a thin smile. “You will be able to see how Obi-Wan very publically claimed you as his fiancé – for which you have my congratulations.”

Cody just stared at Dooku, unsure, for a moment before he inclined his head.

“Thank you,” he murmured, giving a small nod before he turned and walked over to Jango and Rex.

“Oh, but, Cody,” Dooku called after him. “Be prepared to hear some terrible things that Sidious said about you and what he would do to you if Obi-Wan had failed in that fight.”

Cody nodded once more before he left the room to catch up with Ventress, with Jango and Rex murmuring worriedly to him as they walked beside him.

Dooku sighed wearily, finding and allowing himself to feel exhausted now that the war was over. He walked over to his desk and settled behind it, grabbing his own datapad. He needed to see what state the Republic Senate was in before he contacted them.

 

Obi-Wan groaned, slowly becoming back to awareness. He writhed slightly as he struggled to get his heavy eyes open; his body aching heavily as though he had just fallen from a great height. 

A hand rested on his shoulder, a warm, comforting weight.

“Easy, Obi-Wan, easy,” came the familiar voice. Obi-Wan finally forced his eyes open, before wincing at the brightness. Obi-Wan squinted at the blurry blue figure before blinking hard, clearing up his vision.

Vokara was bending over him, giving Obi-Wan a gentle smile.

“Good evening, young one,” Vokara greeted, her gentle hand shifting to rest against Obi-Wan’s forehead, making him close his eyes at the soothing coolness of her hand. “How are you feeling?”

“Sore,” Obi-Wan croaked. “What happened? Is Anakin okay? How long have I been out?” 

“Easy, Obi-Wan,” Vokara ordered, her hands moving to press against Obi-Wan’s shoulders as he went to sit up. “You’re recovering from being bacta immersed to heal the lightsaber burns you received and the physic shock you were inflicted with. You’ve been out for three days.”

Vokara watched as Obi-Wan winced, knowing that he was sore. 

“As for your questions,” Vokara continued, seeing Obi-Wan’s gaze focus intently on her at that. “Sidious is dead, but he also killed Eeth Koth and Saesee Tiin. Mace, Kit and Ki-Adi are quite badly hurt and are recovering from their injuries. Skywalker is okay, he suffered the same physic shock you did when Sidious exploded.”

Obi-Wan relaxed at that, though he was saddened by the news of Eeth Koth and Saesee Tiin. 

“Mace, Kit and Ki-Adi…how bad are they?” Obi-Wan asked hoarsely. 

“Kit suffered a deep gash and lost a couple of his head tentacles, so he’s in a bacta tank. Ki-Adi was hit in the chest with Force Lightning which caused some small damage to his heart; he’ll have permanent damage, but he will live with only minor side effects if we manage it with medication. Mace has lost an arm and has muscle damage due to a lightsaber wound through his thigh, but with Ponds by his side, he’ll make a full recovery with prosthetics.” 

“Anakin?”

“He woke up an hour ago,” Vokara reassured him. “His wife and Padawan are by his side.” 

Obi-Wan swallowed harshly, wincing as he shifted, feeling pain blooming in his limbs. 

“I…I need to get Cody,” Obi-Wan said hoarsely. “I promised him as soon it was safe I’d go get him. I need to get him.”

Vokara sighed, her lekku tips curling up uneasily. Obi-Wan caught the motion and his breath caught in his throat. 

“Vokara, what’s happened?” he croaked, voice breaking in panic. “Cody is okay, right? Please tell me he’s okay!” 

“We don’t know,” Vokara admitted, “Grievous came for the clones on Mandalore and Cody and the others surrendered to keep Grievous from attacking Mandalore.”

Obi-Wan struggled to sit up but Vokara held him down fast.

“No, Obi-Wan, you are in no state to go after him!” Vokara told him firmly. “We don’t know where Grievous has taken them, but we’re searching for them. Plo and the Wolfpack are on their trail.”

“I-I can help!”

Vokara sighed heavily and shook her head. “Even if you were healthy enough for me to release you, you couldn’t leave Coruscant. There’s been a halt on transports leaving and entering Coruscant after Sidious’s death, the interim Chancellor and his advisors have ordered it so they can track down Sidious’s accomplices and so there’s no chance of interference and bounty hunters being hired to come to Coruscant before the election of the new Chancellor.”

Obi-Wan just stared up at her in horror. 

“We’ll find Cody,” Vokara reassured him. “Your fiancé is strong, Obi-Wan, have faith in him.” 

“I do, Vokara, but it’s _Grievous_!” hissed Obi-Wan, trying to get up once more. 

“Stay down or I will tie you to this bed,” Vokara warned him, eyes flashing. Obi-Wan settled back down with a grumble, shooting Vokara a displeased look. 

“From the reports we received, Grievous didn’t kill anyone,” Vokara continued, watching the surprise flash across Obi-Wan’s face. “He took hostages and fired a warning shot upon the Sundari dome, but no one was killed.”

“That’s…new,” Obi-Wan muttered before he winced, a sharp pain throbbing behind his eyes. 

“Sleep, Obi-Wan,” Vokara murmured, pushing a sleep suggestion into her words. Obi-Wan sensed the suggestion if the dirty look he gave her was any indication, but he allowed himself to succumb to it, too weak to fight against it. “The Council are looking for our missing clones. We’ll find them – but you need to just sleep.”

Vokara sighed as Obi-Wan’s face went slack. She carefully checked over his bandages, nodding contently when she saw the wounds had healed up well with the bacta, leaving smooth scars across Obi-Wan’s upper arm and sides. 

Obi-Wan hadn’t even realise that he had been wounded, so full of adrenaline and focused on the fight as he was. 

Vokara looked up from Obi-Wan's wounds as she heard the familiar tapping of a gimer stick. She turned around and looked down, seeing Yoda hobbling in. 

“Master Yoda,” Vokara greeted. “How is everything?”

“Shaken the Jedi are,” Yoda sighed, ears bowing. “So close we were to destruction, two of our Masters now dead and wounded the others are.”

Vokara frowned worriedly, looking to Obi-Wan.

“In lock down, we are, until things settle,” Yoda continued gravely. “Reinforcing us the clones are. Risk the younglings and the lives of our family, we cannot.” 

Yoda looked to Obi-Wan’s bed and Vokara gave a small smile, leaning down to allow Yoda to clamber up her arm and onto the bed. Yoda settled down next to Obi-Wan’s leg, reaching out with a clawed hand to gently pat Obi-Wan’s hand. Yoda looked upon Obi-Wan’s face, seeing the corners of his eyes tight with worry, even in sleep. 

Obi-Wan always worried, even when he was just a youngling. Worried that he wouldn’t be good enough to be a Padawan, worried that he wasn’t good enough for Qui-Gon, worried that he wouldn’t be a good Knight, a good Master to Anakin; then came the war and the worry and the burden on Obi-Wan got heavier and heavier as lives were lost and darkness fell. 

Obi-Wan always worried about things way out of his control, blaming himself for it. 

It always made Yoda sad to feel the feeling of uselessness and desolation that sometimes surrounded Obi-Wan like a thick cloud. Though that cloud did dissipate once Cody was in Obi-Wan’s life, Yoda realised. 

It had returned when Cody had been kidnapped and had stayed until Cody had been returned. The guilt had stayed with Obi-Wan but even that had slowly been disappearing as time went on and as Cody healed. 

“Know does he, about the situation on Mandalore?” Yoda asked, not looking away from Obi-Wan’s troubled face.

“I had to tell him,” Vokara murmured. “He was asking about going to get Cody and that wasn’t something I could lie to him about.”

Yoda hummed and gave a nod. He took Obi-Wan’s hand in his own, holding it in his green claw with one hand and patting it soothingly with the other. He understood Vokara not being able to keep this from Obi-Wan – he wouldn’t be able to keep it from him either.

Yoda wasn’t going to give up on Cody or any of the clones or even the bounty hunters. The Jedi would make sure they were found and brought home. 

Yoda knew that the Jedi had to change, especially after everything that had come to light. Their numbers were dwindling and darkness had stopped them from seeing the Sith Lord right under their noses, who had led a number of them to their deaths. 

Things had to change. 

Yoda looked to Obi-Wan once again and gave a small smile as he gently squeezed his hand. 

Yes, he was quite looking forward to the changes ahead, such as seeing Obi-Wan and Cody getting married, watching as the other Jedi allowed love into their lives and perhaps seeing Jedi have children one day?

Yoda smiled serenely at that thought. Yes, seeing more children in the crèche would be nice; it would be nice to see the next generation of Jedi, the ones who would continue to make things better. 

“Do the Republic blame us?” Vokara asked hesitantly a little while later. “I mean, after the broadcast and all; do they blame us for what happened?”

“No, they don’t.” Yoda and Vokara both looked towards the door seeing a very tired Bail Organa walking into Obi-Wan’s room.

“How is he?” Bail asked tiredly, nodding to Obi-Wan.

“Healing,” Vokara told him. “His wounds are all healed, it’s just the psychic backlash he suffered when Sidious exploded that he needs to recover from.” 

Bail nodded, giving Vokara a tired, thankful smile as she ushered him into the seat beside Obi-Wan’s bed. 

“So the Republic aren’t coming to seek our heads?” Vokara asked as she glanced at Obi-Wan.

“No, the broadcast showed them Palpatine’s true side. They… _we’re_ all thankful that you exposed him for who he was and stopped the war,” Bail told them sincerely. “Now we just need to close this so a new Chancellor can be elected, but some are still fighting us, the ones who were on Palpatine’s side.”

Vokara gave him a sad smile and exchanged looks with Yoda.

“And how is the interim Chancellor faring?” Vokara asked. Bail gave her a look and sighed, leaning back in his chair tiredly.

“I’m exhausted,” Bail chuckled tiredly. “It’s been a task for Mon and I to sort out who were complicit in Palpatine’s actions, which is why Mon and the security advisors wanted the transport ban until this is sorted out and we can start the election process.”

“Going for the position, will you be?” Yoda asked him, tilting his head.

“Gods no,” Bail said with a wry grin. “This has been trying enough.”

All eyes went to Obi-Wan as he gave a mumble in his sleep and shifted about. They all released a collective sigh of relief as he remained asleep.

“The Chancellor’s office, so myself and Mon, received a communication today,” Bail said carefully, quietly. “It was from Count Dooku.”

Vokara frowned and looked to Yoda.

“What did he want?”

“He has Cody, Rex, and the others,” Bail sighed. “He’s holding them as insurance until the new Chancellor is elected and negotiations for peace talks can be made.”

Vokara looked to Obi-Wan sadly at that. “Obi-Wan is not going to like this.”

“We have assurances that they will be safe and taken care of until that time,” Bail reassured them, “especially since Dooku needs them in order for us to even consider peace talks.”

“We can’t send someone to get them?” Vokara asked, glancing at Yoda, who remained silent, as he always was when it came to discussing Dooku.

“No,” Bail said regretfully. “If we have a chance at peace talks with the leader of the Separatists, we can’t risk it, not when the Senate is already close to breaking.”

Bail paused for a moment, hesitating. “Mon didn’t want me to tell you, in case you decided to go ahead and try and take them back…but I figured not knowing would be worse.”

“Wait, you’re the Chancellor, can’t you decide what to do?”

Bail gave a wry smile at that. “In order for the Senate and Senators not to claim that I put myself in the position of Chancellor because I was friends of the Jedi, that this was a power grab and so forth, Mon and I decided to both share the Chancellorship until the election is called.”

“Harm the clones, Dooku will not,” Yoda murmured, looking to Obi-Wan, and gaining Bail’s and Vokara’s attention. “Turning against Sidious, he had been. Cares for Obi-Wan, he does.”

Vokara sighed heavily. “I hope you’re right because either way, Obi-Wan will not take this well.”

“I will talk with Dooku and see if he will allow Cody and Obi-Wan to speak, just so everyone is reassured,” Bail said before he stood up. “Tell Obi-Wan when he awakens that I’ll be in touch and to contact me if he needs anything.”

“Friend of the Jedi you are, most grateful we are to have you,” Yoda smiled as he looked to Bail. Bail smiled back, giving a small nod, before he headed back to the Senate dome to face whatever issues had come up.

Yoda looked to Obi-Wan as Vokara left the room to check on her other patients. 

He truly hoped that Dooku was trying to change and that he wouldn’t harm the clones. Yoda didn’t want to see Obi-Wan hurt anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's at that pointy end where I'm having trouble fitting the chapters the way I want them to go...
> 
> But hopefully you like it!


	50. Turning the Tide

Feemor sighed as he walked into Obi-Wan’s room in the Halls of Healing to see him out of bed and pacing. 

“I’m pretty sure you should still be in bed,” Feemor said as he walked to Obi-Wan’s side, putting his large hands on Obi-Wan’s shoulders and stopping his pacing. Obi-Wan looked up at him, hair dishevelled and hanging in his eyes. Feemor carefully brushed his hair back, looking at Obi-Wan’s distressed grey eyes. 

“I-I thought I was protecting Cody by sending him away,” Obi-Wan whispered, “but I just ended up putting him directly in harm’s way, in easy reach of Grievous!”

“Obi-Wan, no one could have foreseen that,” Feemor told him, gently squeezing Obi-Wan’s shoulders. “We all thought that he would be safe, that the clones would be safe, if we sent them away – that way, no matter what happened in the Chancellor’s office, the Sith couldn’t get them.”

“Dooku has them and we can’t get them,” Obi-Wan said quietly, voice breaking. 

“We will bring them home.”

“We can’t even leave Coruscant!” Obi-Wan retorted, turning his head away so Feemor didn’t see the frustrated tears welling in his eyes. Feemor saw them anyway and pulled Obi-Wan into a tight hug, holding him close.

“Not all Jedi are on Coruscant, Obi-Wan,” Feemor murmured as he soothingly rubbed at Obi-Wan’s back. “I know Master Plo is standing by near Serenno in case he’s needed and he won’t leave until Cody, Rex and the others are safe.” 

Obi-Wan just buried his face into Feemor’s shoulder, sobbing into his brother-Padawan’s robe. Feemor let out a soft sigh, hugging Obi-Wan close.

“We’ll get them back,” Feemor murmured. “I know Bail is talking to Dooku, asking if you and Cody can speak to one another, so don’t lose hope, Obi-Wan. You and Cody will get your happy ending yet.”

 

Dooku stood in his lounge, arms folded across his chest as he watched the screen on the wall which was showing updates on the Republic Senate. Dooku sighed, shaking his head. 

Still squabbling as usual.

Dooku settled down in his arm chair, eyes still fixed on the screen, watching as the news continued. He frowned as he watched different faces appear on screen, ones he knew that Sidious had planned to use in his new Empire. 

Part of him was relieved that the Jedi would not face sanctions or legal action after killing the Chancellor, even if he was the Sith Lord and orchestrated the war – he knew some, mostly Senators on Palpatine’s side, had called for their heads. 

However, another part of him was annoyed to see those Senators still in office, especially now as he watched this broadcast. 

The reporter was interviewing a Naval Admiral, one who Sidious quite liked because of his ruthlessness, about the clones and what should be done with them, especially since the war seemed to be at a stalemate with Palpatine dead and all. 

This Admiral was saying that the Republic should take the clones and put them in stasis until needed again, since they were owned by the Republic. 

Dooku shook his head. 

Oh, the Jedi would not like that, neither would most of the Republic especially after the clones and Jedi video channel. Everyone had fallen in love with the clones, which was also what the reporter was saying in response to the Admiral’s response. 

The broadcast changed to a view of Bail Organa and Mon Mothma, the interim Chancellors. Bail was definitely disagreeing, saying they owed the clones after everything the clones had sacrificed to keep the Republic safe – and that the clones freedom and rights were the least the Republic could do to thank them. 

Dooku smiled slightly at that. He always did like Bail Organa, especially with how much he had irked Palpatine. Palpatine had always tried to have Bail killed, but Bail always managed to elude him and live to argue another day. 

Dooku leaned back, staring blankly at the screen in thought as the camera angle switched back to the reporter. He couldn’t allow one of Palpatine’s minions to gain control of the Chancellorship, that would mean the war would be prolonged and Dooku didn’t want that. He was tired of war. 

He tapped his fingers against the arm of his chair as a thought came to mind.

Well, since the clones’ channel turned out so well…why not make his own? 

That way he could use it to turn the Republic vote in a way he wants. Dooku smirked and stood up, going to find Ventress to assist him with his new project. 

 

Cody sat on the floor in the common room, leaning against Rex tiredly. Dooku had given them a wing filled with bedrooms and this common room attached at the end of the hall.   
Most of the time Dooku left them alone, only coming by every so often to check on them and make sure they weren’t planning anything.

Cody yawned as he curled closer to Rex, who rested his head against Cody’s. It hadn’t actually been too bad, not what he had been expecting once he had learnt that Dooku was behind their kidnapping from Mandalore. Dooku had even come through on his word and had given Cody a datapad with the recording of the broadcast from the Chancellor’s office.

Rex had sat beside him, both of them watching the recording wide-eyed as they watched Obi-Wan, Anakin and Mace and the others fight against the Sith Lord; as they watched them fall under the Sith’s blade until Obi-Wan had stabbed Sidious and Anakin had cut Sidious’s head off.

The recording blacked out as Sidious’s body exploded. 

Cody was glad that Rex had been beside him as they watched as Palpatine had goaded Obi-Wan with all of the things he had threatened to do to Cody if Obi-Wan had fallen under his blade. 

Cody gave a shudder and Rex looked at him, concerned.

“All right, Cody?” he asked quietly, though the others looked around at that question. Cody sighed, giving a nod. 

“Yeah, was just thinking of the recording…and hoping that Obi-Wan is okay,” Cody murmured, giving another shudder. After the Chancellor’s body had exploded, the recording had gone dark as the cameras had been knocked out by the shockwave, so Cody didn’t know if Obi-Wan was truly okay besides Dooku’s word. 

Hardcase came bouncing into the common room, grinning slyly. Rex caught the look and sighed, looking at Hardcase in apprehension, knowing that grin meant nothing but trouble. 

“What is it, Hardcase?” Rex asked, watching as Hardcase’s grin grew.

“I wouldn’t bother Tup for a while,” Hardcase snickered, listening as the others sighed heavily. Helix just rolled his eyes before he went back to talking to Kix and Jesse.

Waxer, on the other hand, grinned widely as well. “Why’s that, ‘Case?”

“Don’t encourage him,” Jesse groaned, burying his face into Kix’s shoulder. 

“He and Jek are getting _‘reaquainted’_ ,” Hardcase cackled. Jango shook his head in exasperation, looking to Cody who just offered him a commiserating smile.   
Fives looked at Echo grumpily as he settled down on Rex’s free side. Rex looked at Fives as Fives settled beside him, giving him a small, fond smile, seeing Fives’s grumpy face.

“Tup will be okay,” Rex murmured to Fives, knowing how much Fives adored their little brother, especially after getting him back after that emotional outburst. 

“Just wish we could get out of here,” Fives muttered to Rex, looking around at the others all lounged about on the floor or couches as they all spoke to each other. Rex sighed, nodding in agreement and glancing to Cody, who was watching them. 

Cody had been rather quiet these last couple of days and Rex knew that he was worrying about Obi-Wan, especially after watching that broadcast recording. Rex was worried about Obi-Wan and Skywalker too, but he wasn’t in love with one of them, not like Cody and Obi-Wan. 

“We will,” Rex told both Cody and Fives. “The Jedi will come for us.”

“Oh, you will definitely be leaving once the Republic sorts themselves out.”

Rex, Cody and Fives all looked up at that, seeing Dooku walking in. The others tensed as they watched Dooku stroll in. 

Dooku looked around at the clones are staring, or glaring, at him and frowned when he noticed that two of the group were missing; one of the clones and the other bounty hunter.

“You seem to be missing two,” Dooku spoke up, an edge of warning in his voice.

“They’re busy breaking in one of the beds,” Hardcase spoke up before yelping as Jesse growled and grabbed him in a headlock, knuckling Hardcase’s tattooed head. Kix was shaking his head, sighing.

“Hardcase,” Rex muttered with a heavy, resigned sigh as he shook his head. Dooku’s nose wrinkled at that thought. 

He would leave them alone, that wasn’t something he wanted to deal with. Dooku cast his gaze over them again. 

Boil, Waxer and Helix were sitting on the floor next to Kix and Jesse – who had Hardcase in a headlock – while Jango sat in the armchair behind them, a book in hands. Crys and Wooley were laying on their stomachs near to that group, playing some wooden board game. Cody, Rex and Fives were sitting on the floor in front of an empty couch with Cody leaning against Rex tiredly as Rex held Fives’s hand. Echo sat on Fives’s other side, an open book in his lap, with Hevy sitting close to Echo. 

“Echo,” Dooku spoke up, startling the clone. “Come with me.”

Fives yanked his brother close to him, glaring at Dooku, as the pale Echo shivered somewhat. 

“What do you want with him?” Rex challenged, glaring at Dooku. Dooku watched as the clones closed ranks around Echo and gave a wry smirk. 

“Just a chat,” Dooku said easily. “It’s nothing bad and nothing that will hurt him. Now, Echo, shall we?”

Echo looked at his brothers uneasily before looking to Dooku, who was beginning to look impatient. He didn’t want his brothers to be punished because of him.

Echo pulled himself out of Fives’s grip, ignoring Five’s hiss of his name and got to his feet. Dooku’s expression turned to a smile and he nodded.

“Good choice, Echo,” praised Dooku. “I will return him to you later.”

Echo cast one last look at his brothers before he followed Dooku from the common room. He followed Dooku towards the elevator, giving a small smile at a dishevelled Tup as he stepped out of a bedroom. Tup looked after Echo worriedly as Echo stepped into the elevator behind Dooku, turning to meet Tup’s gaze before the door closed. 

Echo kept a close eye on Dooku as the elevator went down, watching as Dooku typed on his commpad. 

“Can I ask what you want with me?” Echo asked cautiously. Dooku glanced at him, eyebrow raised.

“As I said, I just want to talk,” Dooku said simply, looking back to the system on his wrist. Echo stared at Dooku uneasily, but Dooku felt no need to elaborate more. 

Finally, the elevator came to a stop and Dooku swept out once the door opened. Echo sighed before he followed after him. 

He followed Dooku into a room and froze when he saw what awaited him.

The room was dark with a stone floor that was covered with a large dark red rug. The wall was the same dark red colour as the rug, with thick black curtains covering the large windows. 

Two chairs sat in the middle of the room, illuminated by two spotlights set up around them. 

A camera droid was pointed at one of the chairs. 

Echo tried to back out of the room before he froze as he walked into someone. He looked around to see Ventress looking at him, eyebrow ridge raised as she stared back at him. 

“Now, now, Echo,” Dooku drawled as Ventress clamped a hand on Echo’s shoulder and steered him into the room. “Nothing bad is going to happen to you; I just want to talk.”

Echo glared at Ventress as she pushed him down into the chair that the camera was facing. Dooku had settled himself in the chair opposite beside the camera and was staring at Echo thoughtfully. 

“What do you want to talk about?” Echo asked venomously. 

“Well, I’ve followed your example and decided to create a channel of my own,” Dooku told him. “You see, the Republic Senate are to elect a new Chancellor soon; however, I’ve realised that a lot of potential candidates are ones who will continue the war. The Republic, and even some Separatist planets, have fallen in love with you clones and the Jedi after you started uploading recordings to your own channel, so I’ve decided to take a leaf out of your book. I want to make sure the Chancellor who is elected is one who will be willing to negotiate a peace between both Republic and Separatist, so we can both live side-by-side.”

“How will talking to me help?” Echo sniped. 

Dooku just gave him a look. “Like I said, the Republic has fallen in love with you clones, so you will be the way to make sure that they choose the right Chancellor…and not the ones who will continue the war or use you and your brothers at their whims.”

Echo frowned at that, looking down. Dooku took that moment to turn on the camera droid. 

Finally Echo sighed, looking up at the camera droid and at Dooku, frowning deeply.

“I just want to say, that I’m doing this under protest.”

Dooku chuckled at that. “Noted, Echo.”

Echo sighed before wincing as rotated his shoulder, reaching up to rub at the sore muscle. 

“Now, young Echo,” Dooku started. “I know you’ve been badly injured. I can see you rubbing your shoulder there and your medic, Kix, came to me looking for muscle relaxant for you. Can you tell me what happened?”

“War,” Echo said bluntly. Dooku gave him an unamused look. Echo sighed at that, glancing at Ventress who stood behind Dooku. He slumped slightly in his seat before he straightened up, looking at Dooku and meeting his cool gaze. 

“It was on a rescue mission to the Citadel,” Echo started to explain. “A small stealth team consisting of myself, my brother Fives – another ARC Trooper – Rex, Cody and a handful of troopers, plus Generals Obi-Wan and Skywalker, plus our Commander, Padawan Ahsoka Tano. It was one of Fives’s and my first missions as ARC Troopers.”

“The Citadel is a very, very fortressed prison,” Dooku said carefully. “Why were your lives risked?”

"A Jedi Master and his crew was captured as you well know,” Echo shot back at him, “because they had coordinates to a hyperspace lane, so we were sent to retrieve them at the request of the Chancellor…well, the Sith Lord now I guess.”

“We’ll skip how you got into the Citadel,” Dooku drawled, “but can you tell us what happened?”

“We got into the Citadel, but an alarm was triggered when Charger slipped and hit an electromine. It happened too quickly for anyone to stop it,” Echo closed his eyes for a moment before continuing. “Ahsoka managed to get us inside, but Sobeck was aware of us now and had activated traps. We lost Longshot to a wall of electricity, but we managed to locate Master Piell and then his officers. Piell had erased the coordinates from the ship’s computer which is why he was captured, but he only memorised half of the coordinates and his Captain memorised the other half. Captain Tarkin was his name,” Echo spat.

“You don’t like him?”

“For good reason,” Echo hissed.

“Then continue, I wish to know why.”

“After we managed to liberate everyone, General Obi-Wan decided it was best for everyone to split up so there was a chance of getting off the Citadel. He, General Piell, Commander Cody and members of the 212th went to create a distraction while General Skywalker, Ahsoka, Captain Rex, Fives and myself were sent with Tarkin and the freed clone officers to find a way back to the ship.”

Echo paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts. 

“We managed to rendezvous back at the ship, but Sobeck was expecting us and set up droids with heavy guns. I-I thought if I could get to the ship, that we’d be able to get out of there…but I was wrong. I ran to the ship but a droid directed a shot into the ship and it exploded behind me and sent me flying,” Echo explained, voice breaking somewhat as he recalled that pain and fear. “I was lucky to keep all of my limbs, though I was badly burnt from the explosion.”

“How bad was it?”

“I’ve got deep scarring from the burns and where part of my armour melted onto my skin,” Echo said flatly with a small shudder. “They thought I was dead, but Fives begged them to just find me – so General Obi-Wan did. He found where I was and covered Rex and Cody while they dragged me out.”

Echo swallowed harshly as he remembered the pure pain he was in from the burns and the force of the explosion that had sent him flying. 

“So despite all of you being under fire and not knowing if you were alive – or even if you would survive your injuries – the Jedi, and your brothers, risked their lives to get you back?”

“Yes,” Echo murmured, reaching up to rub at his shoulder, wincing as the muscles seized under his hand. “They dragged me out and carried me as they ran.”

Dooku nodded. He had read that in the report on the Citadel. 

“I don’t remember most of what happened then,” Echo said carefully. “I was out of it because of the pain and the pain-killers that Cody and Rex had given me…but Fives and then General Plo told me what happened afterwards.”

“What happened?”

“Cody and Rex took in turns carrying me, as did General Kenobi and Skywalker, but the Naval Captain kept telling them to drop me, to leave me to die since I was just dead weight and slowing them down – but General Obi-Wan told him that my fate would be the same as theirs.”

“What Captain was this?” Dooku asked, though he knew exactly who it was.

“Captain Tarkin,” Echo spat. “Though he was promoted to Admiral after the Citadel, even though his Jedi General was killed before we escaped.”

“And he kept demanding that you be left behind to die or be captured?” Dooku reaffirmed. 

Echo nodded, rubbing at his thighs uncomfortably. “Even once we had been evacuated, General Plo diverted his ship to a medical station so I could be properly treated, and Tarkin protested against it, saying that I was a waste and that the information was more important.”

“I doubt a few hours would make much difference,” Dooku said disgusted. “It was hyperspace lane co-ordinates, not the location of someone in trouble.”

“Well, he thought differently,” Echo said bitterly. 

“But clearly the Jedi didn’t listen to him,” Dooku continued, gaining a nod from Echo. “You’re still here after all, despite the burns, and you’re still an ARC Trooper despite your injuries.”

“The Generals fought for me,” Echo said, looking up to meet Dooku’s gaze evenly. “They always fight for us.”

Dooku turned to the recording droid and turned it off, looking back to Echo, who just sighed and slumped down in the seat, rubbing his eyes tiredly. 

“Why bother?” Echo asked, looking at Dooku. “It’s not like Tarkin can be elected Chancellor – he isn’t a Senator.”

“No, but he can still be put in charge of the GAR, which mean he can be in the ear of the Chancellor and can put your brothers in danger,” Dooku explained. “I don’t want Tarkin in a position of power because he’ll want war.” 

Echo blinked at that, before giving a slow nod. He could understand that reasoning.

Dooku looked to Echo, raising an eyebrow. “You can go back to your brothers now and prove I haven’t harmed you.”

Echo quickly stood and hurried out, not needing to be asked twice. Dooku smirked as he watched Echo hurry out and look to Ventress. Ventress met his gaze, raising an eyebrow.

“Can you get that uploaded, Ventress?”

“Easy,” Ventress said, bored, before her comm chirped. Ventress looked down, reading the message and giving a sharp grin.

“What is it?” Dooku asked curiously, feeling Ventress’s excitement spike.

“We have a small fighter in coming,” Ventress told him, looking at him, her grin sharp and feral. “It’s a Jedi fighter.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooh, who is it?   
> :D
> 
> Gone a bit quiet on me last few chapters, I know I'm taking a bit longer to upload as I try and fight this into the way I want, but are you still enjoying where this is going so far?


	51. Family

Quinlan Vos had been on a Shadow mission on Nar Shaddaa when the news had come in. All of the bounty hunters and the scum had been whispering, all of them either on edge or panicked or smirking smugly, sensing a potential payday. 

Vos had quickly found a data-station – since he had nothing being off the grid – and found the broadcast. He watched in shock, dumbfounded as he watched Obi-Wan – one of his oldest and most stubborn friends – take on _the_ Sith Lord.

Vos leaned back in the rickety chair once the recording cut out. 

He needed to contact Coruscant, screw the mission, the Sith Lord was dead. Vos quickly got up out of his seat, hurrying out of the ramshackle building and gaining odd looks as he hurried past. Vos got back to the hole he was staying in and dug out his emergency comm. He scrolled to a familiar – though unmarked – frequency and activated it. 

Vos almost collapsed in relief when he heard the grudging answer of “ _Kenobi_.”

“Holy _kark_ you’re okay!” Vos breathed. “I just saw the broadcast, are you okay? Is Skywalker? What happened to the others?”

“ _Quin_ ,” Obi-Wan sighed back, sounding tired. “ _Eeth Koth and Saesee are dead; Anakin and Mace are fine but injured, as am I._ ”

Vos frowned, hearing a heaviness in Obi-Wan’s voice, a tone that meant something wasn’t right – which he had discovered after being Obi-Wan’s friend for many, many years.

“Obi-Wan, there’s something else, isn’t there?” Vos asked him, concerned. “What’s wrong?”

There was a pause and Vos frowned as he heard a harsh intake of breath from Obi-Wan.

“ _Mandalore…Mandalore was attacked,_ ” Obi-Wan choked out. “ _Cody, Rex, the other clones and their bounty hunter protectors turned themselves over to Grievous so he would leave Mandalore…and now Dooku has them!_ ”

Vos swore under his breath, understanding why Obi-Wan sounded so off. Cody was gone yet again and in danger. 

“We’ll get him back,” Vos promised. “I’ll head back to Coruscant, get you, and then we can go find Dooku, kick his old ass, and get your beloved back…sound good?”

Obi-Wan gave a weak laugh at that. “ _Oh, Quinlan,_ ” Obi-Wan said weakly. “ _As good as that sounds, no one can enter or leave Coruscant until the interim Chancellors and their security advisors are confident that Palpatine has no more friends hiding in the shadows._ ”

Vos grumbled under his breath at that. “Pity, was looking forward to kicking Dooku’s scrawny butt.”

Silence fell between them.

“You are all right, aren’t you, Obes?” Vos asked him. “Sidious didn’t really hurt you, did he?”

“ _Couple of burns and a bad case of psychic backlash when he exploded…I’m okay…I’m just worried,_ ” Obi-Wan assured Vos quietly. Vos nodded, though Obi-Wan couldn’t see him.

“We’ll get Cody back, Obes,” Vos promised. “We’ll get them all back.”

“ _I need to go, Quin, Vokara has come to enforce my afternoon nap,”_ Obi-Wan said suddenly, sounding a little bit irritated. Vos chuckled at that. 

“Rest up, Obi-Wan, regain your strength…and don’t hesitate to get Skywalker to sit on him, Vokara!” Vos called out, gaining a grumble from Obi-Wan and a laugh from someone else.

“ _Oh, I won’t hesitate,_ ” Vokara promised. 

“I’ll talk to you soon, Obi-Wan. Get some rest or I’ll sic Bant onto you.”

“ _Goodbye, Quin._ ”

Vos settled down on the floor, resting his back against the wall, as he frowned, playing with his comm, deep in thought. Finally, Vos shook his head, getting to his feet.  
This bounty hunter chase was rather useless now since the Sith Lord had been found, so he was getting out of here. Vos quickly packed up his few things before he headed deep into the Nar Shaddaa swamp, going to where he had hidden his fighter within the dense, low trees. He came upon the darkly painted fighter and chuckled at the indignant whistle he got from R3-ID – though Vos usually called him ‘Reid.’

“Easy, Reid, easy,” Vos chuckled as he stored his bags. “Everything is fine, but we’re leaving.”

Vos raised an eyebrow as Reid whistled angrily at him.

“We’re not needed on this mission anymore,” Vos told him. “There’s no need to chase down the Sith Lord anymore…he’s dead.”

Reid just gave a blurt and Vos shook his head, smirking. He did take a page out of Skywalker’s book once he had met that sassy astromech Artoo. He liked the sass and arguments a free-thinking astromech could give. 

It also made missions less lonely.

Vos leapt into the cockpit, frowning as he looked at the nav-computer, considering it. He glanced out at Reid, frowning. Reid just beeped questioningly at him.

“No, we’re not going back to Coruscant yet,” Vos told him, looking back to the nav-computer. “It’s been locked down, so we can’t go back…but I have an idea of where to go to next.”

Vos inputted the co-ordinates, gaining a questioning whistle from Reid. 

“Yes, we’re really going there, Reid,” Vos told him as he began to manoeuver his fighter out of the atmosphere. “I have to do this.”

Reid just gave a soft beep, as though he was sighing, and helped to input the correct hyperspace calculations.

“Thanks, buddy,” Vos murmured, giving him a quick grin, before engaging the hyperspace in the engine. 

 

Dooku shook his head in amusement as he watched Ventress practically skip out of the building.

“Now, now, Ventress, remember you can’t attack them first,” Dooku reminded her. “We need to play nice with Republic.”

Ventress almost pouted at that but she nodded as they left Dooku’s palace and headed towards the outskirts where the Jedi fighter had landed. They rounded a tree, spotting the dark colour fighter, with a Jedi standing beside it, arguing with the astromech. 

The Jedi wasn’t dressed like a typical Jedi with light tabards over a dark, sleeveless tunic, and dark leggings with black boots. 

Dooku spotted the dreadlocks and the yellow tattoo across the bridge of the Jedi’s nose as the Jedi turned to face them, back foot sliding into a defensive position as his hand went to his lightsaber.

“Ah, Quinlan Vos,” Dooku drawled. Vos just glared at him in response. 

“Where are the clones?” Vos demanded. “I know you have them!”

“Yes, I do have them,” Dooku said simply, “and I’ve already put in my demands to the interim Chancellors – with the stipulation that no one, especially Jedi, are to come to Serenno before negotiations are made.”

Vos blinked, straightening up slightly. “Okay, **that** I didn’t know about.”

Dooku sighed, looking to Ventress, who was still ready to attack at a moment’s notice. 

“Well, this could be useful,” Dooku said thoughtfully, looking back to Vos.

“Oh?” Vos growled. “I won’t be used as another hostage for you!” 

“If I had a Jedi hostage that would guarantee that I would face the Republic’s wrath, which I don’t want,” Dooku said, gaining a pout from Ventress. “But, having you here could prove useful in the end.”

“Master, you can’t be serious!” Ventress hissed, looking to Dooku in disbelief. 

“After all of this is said and done, the Jedi will still look upon us as Sith,” Dooku informed her, “but if a Jedi were to tell them differently, such as we aren’t Sith anymore, then it can work in our favour.”

“If you prove it to me,” Vos started, “and if you allow Cody to speak to Obi-Wan, then yeah, I’ll speak on your behalf to both Jedi and the Republic Senate.”

Dooku nodded. “Good, let’s get back inside then. Ventress, you still have a job to do.”

Ventress gave an exaggerated sigh. “Fine,” she muttered before she spun on her heel and stalked off, long skirt flicking out behind her.

“So dramatic,” Dooku sighed, shaking his head. Vos grabbed his bag, slinging it over his shoulder, and watching as Reid disengaged himself from the fighter.

“Coming from the Sith that wears a cloak,” Vos retorted. “You’re filled with dramatics on the battlefield.”

“Not as much as Obi-Wan,” Dooku countered, gaining a surprised look from Vos as they started heading back to Dooku’s palace, though Vos followed cautiously, still waiting for a trap. He never knew Dooku to be so relaxed or sassy.

Gods, must be a lineage thing. 

He followed Dooku into the large building, glancing around cautiously.

“Your droid can recharge in here,” Dooku said, pointing to an alcove. Vos looked to Reid, who beeped angrily and blurted a few choice words in binary which even caused Dooku to invert an eyebrow in surprise. 

“Calm, Reid, calm,” Vos sighed, patting his dome. Reid beeped angrily once more before he wheeled to the charging bay, whistling insults at the battle droids he passed, who looked at him before glancing at Dooku.

“He is a guest,” Dooku told them. “He is not to be harmed…but keep an eye on him.”

Vos winced at the insult that Reid whistled at Dooku, but Dooku just ignored it and turned away, walking down the long, sleek hallway. Vos glanced at Reid once more before he followed.

“The clones have a floor up here,” Dooku told him as he led Vos to an elevator. “If you’re staying here, you will need to follow the same rules as the clones. You will also need to wear a tracking band that will stop you going into places I don’t want.”

“Sithly places?” Vos poked, gaining an eye roll from Dooku.

“I do have a few artefacts,” Dooku admitted, “but that’s the same as the Archives in the Temple.”

“So what’s the band really for?”

“To stop you being a pain and trying to escape or sabotage me, simple as that,” Dooku said bluntly. Vos just nodded as the elevator pinged and Dooku stepped off, walking down a corridor. 

 

Rex looked up from where he was sitting, watching as Fives checked over and practically interrogated Echo, making sure he was okay and that Dooku hadn’t hurt him. Echo was looking at Fives in exasperation as Fives looked him, shaking his head at his brother’s overprotectiveness. Hevy was also hovering nearby, but even he was smiling at Fives.   
Rex looked around as the door opened and his heart skipped a beat when he saw Dooku walking in, trailed by a familiar Jedi.

“Vos,” Cody breathed from beside Rex as he also spotted Vos.

“Yes, I found a friend of yours hiding in the woods,” Dooku drawled. “Explain the rules I have given you to him.”

Dooku turned and left the room after that, leaving Vos alone with the clones and the bounty hunters.

“What are you doing here?” Cody asked as he got to his feet. Vos just gave an easy grin as he dropped his bag, walking over to all of the clones. 

“Good to see you too, Cody,” Vos grinned. He looked over the clones, nodding contently when he saw they were all in one piece and seemed to be well taken care of. Vos’s gaze then landed on the older bounty hunter, who was sitting in an armchair, looking at Vos with a raised eyebrow.

“Fett,” Vos nodded. 

“Jedi,” Fett replied, with a small nod. “What brings you here?”

“Obi-Wan,” Vos sighed as he walked closer to the clones, settling down on one of the couches. Jango nodded at that, looking to Cody, who perked up. He understood Vos completely at that. 

“Obi-Wan’s okay?” Cody asked eagerly, amber eyes wide with worry. Vos looked to Cody, seeing the worry within those amber eyes, watching as Helix reached out to Cody in reassurance.

“I spoke to him,” Vos reassured him. “He just sounded tired and worried about you.”

Cody slumped back in relief, eyes tearing up. Helix made a noise in his throat and quickly gathered Cody close, hugging him tight. Cody buried his face into his medic’s shoulder, back jerking as he sobbed softly.

“It’s all right,” Helix cooed. “Let it out, Cody. You’ve been so worried, wound so tightly, it’s time to just let it out.”

Rex smiled thankfully at Helix over Cody’s shoulder. Helix smiled back and gave a small nod, thankful that Bant had spoken to him and Kix about the best way to help Cody and Rex when she wasn’t able to.

She had even explained how to best handle and help the brothers going through a rough time emotionally and how to best help their mental health. Helix was very thankful for Bant’s advice about Mind Healing, it had helped when he had spoken to brothers who were so close to breaking point.

“The Jedi know we’re here then?” Jango asked. 

“Are they coming for us?” Jek asked quickly as he looked to Tup, squeezing his hand. Tup smiled at him before looking to Vos, who sighed heavily and shook his head.

“Yes, the Jedi know you’re here,” Vos said carefully, “but Obi-Wan, Skywalker, the Council, they’re all stuck on Coruscant with the security crackdown.”

“What’s the security crackdown?” Rex asked, concerned.

“All transport in and out of Coruscant is temporarily halted, though I believe they are making exceptions for imports and exports, though they’re being very thoroughly searched…but everything else is halted. So no Jedi in and out, no Senators in and out, not until the security advisors and the interim Chancellors are content that Sidious has no friends hiding out on Coruscant, waiting in the shadows,” Vos explained. 

“So no rescue,” Hardcase muttered grumpily as he leaned against Jesse. Jesse rested his head against Hardcase’s sadly in reassurance. Hardcase immediately curled closer to his _vod_. Kix smiled at the sight of Jesse and Hardcase before looking back to Vos. 

“No, there will be no rescue,” Vos told them regretfully. “I didn’t know this, but Dooku had named his terms to the interim Chancellors, saying that no one from the Republic, especially Jedi, were to try and mount a rescue, because he wanted to negotiate terms.”

“Why did he allow you to stay then?” Kix asked curiously.

“Dooku has so kindly allowed me to stay so I can help reassure the Jedi that he and Ventress aren’t Sith anymore and that none of you have been harmed,” Vos sighed, running a hand through his dreadlocks. 

“Smart,” Jango grunted, gaining curious looks from the clones. He gave them a gruff smile. “Jedi are trusted by the Republic Senate…”

Vos snorted at that, giving a wry grin. “You might be surprised.”

“Well, mostly you are,” Jango amended, “and I’ve been reading the comments on that channel the clones have created. The Republic love the Jedi and the clones, so if the Senators want the votes they need to make the Republic vote them, so going against the clones and Jedi would surely mean votes _against_ them which isn’t what they want.”

“So having the Jedi speak on Dooku’s behalf, saying that he is genuine in his wants to reach an agreement, to have peace between the Republic and the Separatists, the Republic and the Senate would be more likely to listen?” Echo asked, tilting his head. 

“Exactly, Echo, very quick on the uptake,” Jango said, smiling at him. Echo tried not to preen under the approving gaze, but it was hard not to when it was _Jango Fett_ of all people praising him!

Fives rolled his eyes good-naturedly as he watched Echo blush under the praise. 

They all went quiet, except for Cody, who was sniffling slightly as he straightened up out of Helix’s hug. Rex reached out to take Cody’s hand with his free one, squeezing it gently. 

“Do you…do you think everything will be okay?” Tup spoke up cautiously, all eyes turning to him. “Do you really think Dooku will let us go home?”

Vos looked at the nervous clone, who looked slightly younger than the others in the room somehow, and gave his patented easy, carefree grin.

“Of course,” Vos said reassuringly. “Keeping you, keeping us,” he amended, “would be detrimental to Dooku’s plans, especially since he wants peace.”

Tup nodded, reassured by that, and settled down against Jek’s side. Jek wrapped his arm around Tup’s waist, holding him close and nuzzling his nose into Tup’s soft black hair. 

Vos noted that, a slight furrow in his brows as he thought back. He remembered the issue with the bounty hunter that was hired to make a clone fall in love with him…but he also remembered afterwards, having drinks with Obi-Wan, and Obi-Wan explaining how the bounty hunter had actually fallen in love with the trooper…Tup, Vos recalled. 

Vos watched as Tup relaxed against this bounty hunter’s side, seemingly at ease and comfortable with him and he relaxed back in the seat. Well, it seemed everything had worked out there.

Sighing, Vos looked at the clones. 

“So, Dooku said you had apparently had some ‘rules’ to explain to me?”

 

Obi-Wan sat in his apartment, watching Anakin, Padme, Ahsoka and Feemor as they all spoke to one another. Vokara had finally released him from the Halls, although a bit grudgingly, with firm orders that Obi-Wan actually rest – which she would be checking on – or she would force him to rest within the Halls of Healing. 

He had been quite surprised to hear from Vos the day prior, but he had been thankful to hear from his friend. Despite Vos being a major pain the _shebs_ sometimes, he did have a way of making Obi-Wan feel better, or at least more comforted and not so alone. 

Obi-Wan smiled softly as he watched Ahsoka laughing with Padme and Anakin. He never thought that he’d have this after Qui-Gon died. He never thought he’d have a family, not when he was a Jedi, but Anakin had wormed his way into his heart, becoming a brother to him…and then Ahsoka joined in and she was in ways, like a daughter or a niece. Padme had always been a close friend, but now with her being married to Anakin and how much of a comfort she had been when Cody was first taken, she was akin to a sister. Then he had gained yet another brother in Feemor once he came into his life, being the caring, big brother that Obi-Wan had so desperately needed when he was a Padawan.

The clones had quickly become family to him as well, becoming brothers and friends, until Cody of course. 

If only Cody and Rex were here, then Obi-Wan’s family would be complete. He knew Qui-Gon was watching over them in the Force, something in him just knew that Qui-Gon was watching them. 

Obi-Wan closed his eyes, heart aching. Oh, how he wanted Cody home and safe in his arms. 

“Obi-Wan?”

Obi-Wan opened his eyes at the soft, yet worried, voice, giving a weak smile when he saw Anakin looking at him, eyes filled with worry and heartache.

“I am okay, Anakin,” Obi-Wan assured him. “I am just lost in thought.”

“Of Cody?” Ahsoka asked quietly and so hesitantly. Obi-Wan sighed, giving yet another weak smile.

“Partly,” he admitted. “I do miss him, but I was also thinking of my family here in front of me, of Qui-Gon, and, yes, how I so desperately wish that Cody and Rex were here with us to complete our family.”

Anakin’s eyes widened at that statement and Obi-Wan tilted his head in concern when he noticed that Anakin’s cheeks flushed and that his blue eyes had becoming alarmingly wet.

“Anakin?”

Anakin ignored Obi-Wan’s concerned question for now as he dived towards Obi-Wan and hugged him tightly. The bewildered Obi-Wan hugged him back as he looked to Padme, who just smiled warmly at him. Feemor smiled at Obi-Wan as well as he wrapped an arm around Ahsoka's shoulders, the young Togrutan quickly snuggling up against Feemor's side. She had very quickly warmed to Feemor and loved having him around. He was almost like an uncle to her.

“Anakin?” Obi-Wan tried again, looking to the quivering Jedi attached to his mid-section.

“Y-You think we’re family,” Anakin managed to choke out. “I-I didn’t think…I didn’t know…”

“Oh, dear one,” sighed Obi-Wan as he held Anakin closer. “Of course you’re my family, I mean, I partially raised you, didn’t I? Of course I care for you, of course you’re my family…as is Ahsoka, Feemor and Padme.”

Anakin was quiet for a moment before his hands gripped on tighter to the back of Obi-Wan’s robes.

“Force, he really messed me up,” Anakin muttered darkly, burying his face into Obi-Wan’s neck, feeling comforted as Obi-Wan’s soft yet wiry beard scratched against the top of his head. “He made me believe you really didn’t care – how could I have believed him?”

Obi-Wan gave a soft sigh, knowing exactly who Anakin was talking about, and gently rubbed Anakin’s back, much like he did when Anakin was a youngling and had just had a nightmare.

“He knew how to twist you, dear one,” Obi-Wan murmured. “He knew what words to use. It wasn’t your fault. You trusted him, he was meant to be a friend, a mentor, and he abused that power.”

Anakin remained quiet, instead hugging Obi-Wan tighter. Obi-Wan gently nuzzled into his hair, but turned his gaze to Padme, Feemor and Ahsoka, who were all looking at Anakin sadly.

Obi-Wan looked up as the door to his apartment opened and Mace walked in, followed closely by Ponds. Anakin reluctantly untangled himself from Obi-Wan, pulling away as Ponds ushered Mace into an empty armchair, with Mace giving Ponds a small, exhausted smile at Ponds’s mother-henning. 

“Mace,” Obi-Wan greeted, smiling at him. “How are you?”

“Getting used to this,” Mace sighed, indicating to his prosthetic arm, which Vokara had fitted two days ago. 

“It takes a while,” Anakin told him, “but it gets easier.”

Mace nodded, looking to his glinting gold prosthetic hand, shifting the fingers and watching them flex. Ponds settled down to sit on the arm of Mace’s chair, watching him with warm, fond eyes. Mace glanced up at Ponds, seeing the gaze and smiled back warmly at him.

He remembered waking up to see Ponds sitting in the chair beside his medical bed. Ponds was fast asleep, dark bags under his eyes and looking pale and exhausted. Vokara had come in then, spotted Ponds asleep, and had told Mace that Ponds hadn’t left his side. 

Mace didn’t know how he would have coped if he hadn’t had Ponds by his side, encouraging him and comforting him, as he struggled to get used to his new limb.

“What brings you here, Mace?” Obi-Wan asked, bringing Mace from his thoughts.

“This was just brought to our attention,” Mace said carefully as Ponds pulled out his datapad. “It was posted yesterday but it took a little while to get attention, but now it’s exploded and has quickly gone viral.”

Obi-Wan frowned as he took the datapad from Ponds, Anakin leaning over to see, and looked down. He saw it was a video channel, much like the ones the clones and Jedi had set up, and found that only one video had been uploaded.

He pressed play.

It showed a displeased looking clone sitting in a chair.

“Echo,” Anakin breathed from beside him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have stayed up to 2 am getting this chapter finished for you, so excuse spelling mistakes :D
> 
> Thank you so, so much for all the comments last chapter, I loved them!

**Author's Note:**

> Well, what do you think?


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